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COMPAEATIYE  PHYSIOGNOMY 


OR 


RESEMBLANCES 


BETWEEN    MEN    AND    ANIMALS. 


BY 


JAMES   W.  EEDFIELD,  M.D. 


With  his  hand  thus  o'er  his  brow, 
He  falls  to  such  perusal  of  my  face, 
As  he  would  draw  it.  Shakspeke. 


ILLUSTEATED  BY  330  ENGKAVTNGS. 


RE  D  FI  E  LD, 

CLINTON    HALL,    NEW    YORK. 

1852. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1852, 

By  JAMES  W.  REDFIELD, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  in  and  for  the 

Southern  District  of  New  York. 


©SSL  & 


STEREOTYPED    BY   C.    C.    SAVAGE. 
13  Chambers  Street,  N.  Y. 


PREFACE. 


The  word  preface  is  an  indication  that  a  book,  like  its 
author,  must  have  a  face  ;  and  unless  it  be  a  misnomer,  there 
is  no  reason  why  it  should  not  be  illustrated  with  faces.  That 
it  comes  first  and  foremost  it  would  be  useless  to  observe, 
had  not  certain  persons  been  inclined  to  put  it  in  the  back- 
ground. We  will  state  frankly,  at  the  outset,  that  this  partic- 
ular preface  is  intended  to  "  face  down" — not  by  "  barefaced 
assertions,"  but  by  a  presentation  of  faces  and  arguments  — 
the  unjust  treatment  to  which  the  face  has  been  subjected. 

Why  should  a  periodical,  that  professes  to  be  a  "  Journal" 
of  Phrenology  and  of  kindred  sciences,  look  out  at  the  back 
of  its  head  whenever  it  takes  a  peep  at  Physiognomy  ?  We 
know  not,  but  humanity  claims  that  the  eyes  in  such  a  case 
should  be  set  right.  We  address  ourselves,  therefore,  to  an- 
swering the  objections  contained  in  two  articles  on  this  sub- 
ject in  the  "  Phrenological  Journal,"  both  of  them  new-year's 
presents,  for  which  we  have  reason  to  be  thankful. 

The  first  formidable  obstacle  we  meet  with  is  this :  "  The 
naked  skull  of  poor  Yorick,  notwithstanding  its  yawning  eye- 
sockets  and  ghastly  grin,  presents  the  evidences  of  his  former 
warmth  of  affection  and  his  racy  wit,  although  the  signs  of 
these  emotions  in  the  face  are  obliterated  for  ever."  Is  there, 
then,  nothing  left  of  the  skull  but  the  cranial  portion  ?  and 
does  not  Physiognomy  claim  that  the  character  is  indicated 
in  the  features  of  the  face,  as  well  as  in  the  expressions  ? 


j  pi:i  FACE. 

idea  conveyed  by  the  objection  is,  that  the  "naked 
ikoU"  is  (he  all  of  Phrenology,  and  only  a  part  of  Physiog- 
nomy.    The  naked  Bkull,  says  the  writer,  "  is  the  only  organic 
memento  of  fee  character  of  the  dead;"  but  Physiognomy 
elaimfl  the  advantage  of  the  naked  face,  while  living,  and  of 
le  to  Bay,  u  Blessed  be  the  art  that  can  immortalize !" 
In  portraits,  the  Bkull  remains  in  the  background,  where  na- 
tnre  placed  it;  and  the  power  of  art  is  expended  upon  the 
..  in  making  it  live,  and  breathe,  and  grow  warm  with 
life,  and  almost  speak.     Would  the  "naked  skull  of  poor  Yor- 
Ick"  have  been  treated  contemptuously  in  the  third  person,  or 
gibingly  in  the  second,  if  it  had  been  as  good  an  index  of 
character  as  the  face  ?     "  How  abhorred  in  my  imagination  it 
My  gorge  rises  at  it.     Here  hung  those  lips  that  I  have 
led  1  know  not  how  oft.    Where  be  your  gibes  now?  your 
mbolsl  your  songs?  your  flashes  of  merriment  that  were 
wont  to  keep  the  table  on  a  roar?"     Contrast  this  with  Cow- 
per*8  address  to  his  mother's  picture  : — 

»« That  face  is  thine,  thy  own  sweet  smile  I  see, 
The  same  that  oft  in  childhood  solaced  me  !" 

What  if  somebody  should  become  so  phrenology-mad  as  to 
hang  up  "the  only  organic  memento  of  the  character  of  the 

,.r  on  the  parlor-wall !  Pity  it  is  that  Nature  should  have 
made  "the  only  reliable  index  of  character"  so  inaccessible; 
and  that  Art,  when  Nature  fails  in  her  attempt,  should  sub- 
stitute a  wig,  and  add  such  a  fashion  of  head-dress  as  to  be 
a  burlesque  upon  the  reliability,  pretensions,  and  significance, 
i  t'  the  cranium! 

The  second  formidable  objection  is  this  :  "  The  temporary 

ctV  in  emotion  may  be  set  forth  in  the  face,  obscuring 

for  the  time  being  the  natural  traits  of  character,  while  the 

I  the  head  remains  the  same,  offering  to  the  phrenolo- 


PREFACE.  5 

gist  equal  facility  to  read  the  real  elements  of  the  mind, 
whether  it  be  lashed  into  fury,  and  the  face  distorted  with 
rage,  or  lulled  to  a  calmness  of  spirit  and  placidity  of  counte- 
nance by  all  the  soothing  appliances  of  peace  and  love."  We 
would  like  particularly  to  see  the  author  of  this  thrilling  pas- 
sage examining  a  head  when  the  mind  was  "  lashed  into  fury, 
and  the  face  distorted  with  rage ;"  and  we  would  inquire  if, 
under  the  "  soothing  appliances"  of  his  fingers,  the  bones  of 
the  cranium  ever  discovered  themselves  to  be  more  osseous 
than  those  of  the  face  ? 

Not  far  from  this  stage  of  the  criticism  several  faces  are 
introduced  from  the  "  favorite  delineator  of  eccentric  charac- 
ter," Dr.  Valentine,  showing  how  a  man  may  "  frame  his  face 
to  all  occasions."  Let  us  compare  "  Monsieur  Grenoble,"  or 
the  representation  of  "  a  sympathetic,  good-natured,  confiding, 
simple-hearted  Frenchman,"  with  a  genuine  exhibition  of  the 
same  traits,  and  see  if  there  is  not  a  difference.     Here  is  a 


Frenchwoman  whose  habitual  character  is  that  described  above, 
and  where  is  the  hesitation  in  deciding  which  is  the  genuine 
and  which  is  the  false  ?  In  the  first,  the  feeling  which  appears 
upon  the  face  is  superficial ;  but  in  the  other  the  feeling  is  the 
character  itself,  and  the  expression  is  not  put  on,  but  is  the 
very  face. 

By  the  side  of  a  countenance  that  is  said  to  exhibit  "  every 


PREFACE. 


Line,  angle,  and  expression,  of  moping  melancholy,"  and  is 
called  uthe  embodiment  of  sadness  —  a  visage  fit  to  freeze 

the  BOnl"  —  let  OS  place  the  expression  of  sullen  gloominess 

and  frigidity  in  B  woman  who  resembles  but  is  seen  to  be  in 

t  mood  of  mind  from  the  other.     In  this  com- 


►n,  the  pretended  "  hypochondriac"  is  easily  distinguished 
from  the  portrait,  which  has  the  expression  of  genuine  senti- 
ment and  Btern  reality. 

The  Becond  criticism  is  now  in  turn.  First,  it  says  of  the 
brain,  that  M  it  is  the  trunk  of  the  mental  tree,  and  that  all 
outward  signs  of  character  and  emotion  spring  from  and  de- 
pend upon  it,  as  do  the  branches  and  leaves  of  the  natural 
upon  its  trunk."  According  to  this,  "all  the  outward 
sign-  of  character  and  emotion"  are  in  the  arms  and  hands, 
and  the  features  and  expressions  of  the  countenance,  which 
are  compared  to  branches  and  leaves.  This  is  more  than  we 
are  willing  to  accept,  for  we  acknowledge  that  there  are  some 
outward  signs  of  character  in  the  skull. 

The  next  objection  is  the  more  formidable  on  account  of 

rtion,  which  is  this:  ""We  often  find  a  person, 

whose  father  and  mother  are  very  unlike  in  character,  who 

-  in  head  one  parent  and  in  face  the  other.     Such  a 

person's  character  is  always  found  to  follow  the  phrenological 

development The  face  will  everywhere  be  recognised  as 

I  very  nmch  like  that  of  the  father,  for  example,  while 


PEEFACE.  7 

the  character  is  precisely  that  of  the  mother  ....  and  as  un- 
like that  of  the  father  ....  as  can  well  be  imagined."  The 
premises  in  this  case  will  not  sustain  the  conclusions.  That 
from  a  father  and  a  mother,  whose  opposite  characters  are  in- 
dicated by  opposite  faces,  can  be  produced  an  offspring  whose 
face  and  character  are  opposite  to  each  other,  is  a  contradic- 
tion in  terms.  If  the  face  and  the  character  V  belie"  each 
other,  the  one  may  as  well  be  convicted  of  falsehood  as  the 
other :  but  the  truth  is,  whatever  belies  one  belies  them  both ; 
and  the  assertion,  that  one  is  true  and  not  the  other,  belies  itself. 
The  next  assertion  which  strikes  us  as  being  very  singular 
is  this :  A  person  "  looks  at  the  face,  but  the  scenery  above  it 
gives  him,  after  all,  his  idea  of  the  man.  We  say  an  eye  is 
beautiful,  but  it  is  as  much  the  scenery  around  the  eye  that 
gives  it  beauty  and  expression  as  the  eye  itself,  and  even 
more."  The  first  sentence  teaches  us  that  we  can  have  no 
idea  of  a  man  till  he  doffs  his  hat ;  but  the  second  descends 
from  that  high  empyrean,  and  acknowledges  that  there  is 
scenery  around  the  eye,  which,  as  the  eye  is  very  expressive, 
must  be  an  important  index  of  character.  But  the  most  ridic- 
ulous thing  is,  that  a  "  a  glass  eye  keeps  pace  exactly  with  the 
natural  one,  in  all  apparent  changes  of  that  speaking  organ." 
Of  course,  then,  when  a  high-spirited  horse  "  darts  the  fire  of 
passion"  from  his  eyeballs,  it  is  "  the  change  of  scenery  around 
the  eye,  and  not  the  eye  itself;"  and,  of  course,  Art  may  do 
as  well  as  Nature  in  manufacturing  eyes  !  Accordingly,  our 
critic  has  caused  a  pair  of  eyes  to  be  executed  for  the  picture 
of  the  bust  of  Yitellius  —  with  what  intention  we  shall  pres- 
ently see.  It  is  quite  probable,  too,  that  Art  can  manufacture 
a  face  out  of  the  odds  and  ends  of  different  characters  that 
shall  be  quite  equal  to  one  of  Nature's  own  productions.  On 
this  principle,  faces  are  manufactured  that  are  intended  to  be, 
and  that  are,  perfect  contradictions  to  Physiognomy. 


8 


PBEFAOE. 


"To  illustrate  how  the  appearance  of  the  head  changes  the 
expression  of  the  face,"  the  inventor  introduces  "four  engra- 
vings." "  These,"  says  he,  "  are  made  up  from  two  portraits, 
each  of  which  is  engraved  on  two  pieces  of  wood,  divided  just 
IB,  s<>  that  the  head  of  each  may  be  united  to  the 
Other.  These  parts  are  mismatched.  Two  of  the  four  are  as 
;  modi  t]t<  in  ;  the  other  two  are  composed  of  the  head 
of  each  on  the  lace  of  the  other.-'     In  this  quotation  the  man- 


ufacturing process  is  well  described.  It  would  seem  as  if  the 
writer  intended  that  his  own  two  charming  productions  should 
he  taken  as  illustrations  of  the  principle  that  the  head  may 
he  derived  from  one  parent  and  the  face  from  the  other.  As 
"the  character  is  always  found  to  follow  the  phrenological 
development,"  Vitellius  and  Wilson,  having  changed  heads, 
must  be  described  thus.  First,  Yitellius :  "A  man  remarka- 
ble fm-  talent,  purity,  and  elevation  of  character;  a  pattern  of 
rolence,  of  enlarged  and  liberal  views,  a  zealous  friend 
of  the  p  -or ;  who  lived,  like  Oberlin,  for  the  human  race."  In 
his  phrsi<  gnomical  judgment  of  Yitellius,  the  writer  exclaims  : 
"What  a  beastly  lace!  how  sensual  and  gluttonous!  what 
tyranny  and  severity!  How  much  of  the  base  robber  and 
murderer  are  seen  in  that  countenance!  how  savage  and  how 
repulsh  e  I"     But,  as  the  head  of  this  beastly  Koman  emperor 


PREFACE.  9 

is  turned  over  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  "Wilson,  this  description  of  char- 
acter must  go  with  it.  "We  have  presented  above  the  portraits 
of  these  two  individuals,  and  surely  the  thought  of  a  mutual 
exchange  of  heads  and  faces  between  characters  so  perfectly 
opposite  is  horrible. 

One  other  objection  remains  to  be  answered.  It  is  the  idea 
that  in  certain  cases  "  the  changes  of  expression  are  so  great, 
and  so  mingled  in  their  effects  upon  the  facial  muscles,  as  to 
make  the  reading  of  character  by  that  means  a  complete  puz- 
zle." The  writer  of  the  following  description  of  Kossuth  did 
not  think  so : — 

"A  word  of  the  orator's  personal  appearance.  He  is  a  lit- 
tle under  size,  perhaps  five  feet  eight ;  erect,  of  fine  form  and 
figure,  quick  and  elastic  in  movement,  and  of  admirable  and 
commanding  gesture.  The  flexibility  of  his  physical  frame 
is  the  type  of  his  flexibility  of  nature,  and  accurately  obedient 
to  its  command.  "When  he  is  roused,  the  soul  speaks  through 
the  entire  person.  Hence  comes  the  electric  shock,  the  mag- 
netic effusion,  that  captivates  and  controls  his  hearers.  His 
face  is  suffused  with  emotional  indications,  and  is  eminently 
susceptible  of  every  expression.  It  melts  in  sadness,  it  lights 
up  with  enthusiasm,  it  grows  fierce  in  passion,  it  flashes  with 
mirth.  Upon  no  man's  face  is  the  sunshine  glow  of  delight 
more  effectively  expressed,  yet  is  the  prevailing  expression 
sad  and  subdued.  The  eye  tells  of  the  treasures  within.  It 
is  full,  liquid,  and  in  him  the  very  window  of  the  soul ;  it  is 
the  ready  outlet  of  a  heart  filled  with  emotion,  and  feminine 
in  a  gushing  sympathy  of  expression,  that  needs  not  the  poor 
interpreter  of  language.  It  mirrors  a  depth  and  reveals  an 
inspiration  of  nature,  cognizable  to  the  dullest  sense,  as  rare 
as  it  is  captivating." 

In  refutation  of  the  above  objection,  we  offer  also  the  follow- 
ing :— 


IQ  PRETAOE. 

-The  artists,'1  Baid  Mr.  Clay,  "have  not  generally  succeed- 
ed  well  in  taking  my  features,  but  that  has  been  in  a  great 

measure  my  own  fault;  for  my  face  never  retains  long  the 

Bam)  .  and,  especially  when  I  am  under  any  excite- 

ment, it  changes  every  moment.  John  Eandolph  once  paid 
me  B  high  compliment,  not  intentionally  — for  he  seldom  com- 
plimented any  man  — but,  without  intending  it,  he  paid  me 
what  I  esteem  one  of  the  highest  compliments  I  ever  received. 
Ee  Baid,  'Whenever  a  debate  is  coming  on,  if  I  can  get  a 
Bight  of  Mr.  Clay's  face,  I  can  always  tell  which  side  he  is 
going  to  take.' " 

The  practice  of  affectation,  or  dissembling,  so  far  from  ad- 
ding lineaments  and  expressions  to  the  countenance,  absolutely 
obliterates  them.  It  makes  the  face,  on  which  was  originally 
"the  royal  stamp  of  man,"  like  a  smooth  shilling,  which, 
though  very  attractive  and  pleasant  to  the  feel,  is  liable  to  be 
called  in  question ;  to  be  more  closely  scrutinized  than  a  coin 
with  an  honest  face  upon  it;  to  be  set  down  for  something  less 
than  its  original  value;  to  be  branded  as  claiming  to  be  of 
more  value  than  it  really  is ;  to  receive  the  curse  of  Cain,  to  bear 
his  mark,  and  thereafter  be  suffered  to  wander  unmolested. 

Finally,  we  would  observe  that  generally  the  brain  and  face 
are  harmonious,  but  that  always  the  former  is  subservient  to 
the  latter.  The  divining  of  character  by  the  skull  is  subordi- 
nate to  the  practical,  every-day  reading  to  which  the  face  is 
appropriated.  Physiognomy  is  available  on  all  occasions,  and 
it  is  even  a  breach  of  etiquette  not  to  look  a  man  in  the  coun- 
tenance :  but  Phrenology  can  be  employed  only  professionally, 
and  discovers  character  "by  fumbling  up  the  hair  and  rub- 
bing the  organs,"  which  in  most  cases  would  be  regarded  as 
a  gross  impertinence. 

Vct.k,  August,  1852. 


CONTENTS. 


Preface , 

Chapter  I. .  .  .  , 
Chapter  II. . . . 
Chapter  III. . 
Chapter  IV.  . . 
Chapter  V. . . 
Chapter  VI.  . 
Chapter  VII.. , 
Chapter  VIII. 
Chapter  IX.  . 
Chapter  X. . . 


Chapter  XI 

Chapter  XII 

Chapter  XIII 

Chapter  XIV 

Chapter  XV 

Chapter  XVI 

Chapter  XVII 

Chapter  XVIII 

Chapter  XIX. 

Chapter  XX 

Chapter  XXI 

Chapter  XXII 

Chapter  XXIII 

Chapter  XXIV...., 

Chapter  XXV. 

Chapter  XXVI 

Chapter  XXVII.  . . 
Chapter  XXVIII... 
Chapter  XXIX. . . . 

Chapter  XXX. 

Chapter  XXXI. . . . 
Chapter  XXXII. .  . 
Chapter  XXXIII.  . 

Chapter  XXXIV.  . 
Chapter  XXXV... 
Chaptfr  XXXVI.  . 
Chapter  XXXVII.. 

Chapter  XXXVIII. 


Heads  and  Faces page    3 

Resemblances  of  Human  Beings  to  Beasts  and  Birds. .   13 

"  of  Germans  to  Lions 21 

"  of  Prussians  to  Cats 28 

"  of  certain  Persons  to  Eagles  and  Owls. .   35 

"  "  "        to  the  Rhinoceros. . .  41 

"  of  Negroes  to  Elephants 49 

"  of  certain  Persons  to  Ostriches 55 

"  "  "        to  Storks 60 

of  the  "Aztec  Children"  to  Mice 65 

"  of  certain    Persons   to   the   Rat,    Hare, 

Squirrel,  and  "  'Possum" 70 

"  of  Human  Beings  to  Apes 75 

"  of  Negroes  to  Fishes 81 

"  in  general 86 

"  of  Laplanders  to  Reindeers 89 

"  of  certain  Persons  to  Herons 94 

"  of  Arabs  to  Camels 99 

"  of  certain  Persons  to  Vultures 105 

"  of  Englishmen  to  Bulls Ill 

"  of  Italians  to  Horses 123 

"  "  "       continued 134 

of  Turks  to  Turkeys 145 

"  of  Persians  to  Peacocks 152 

"  of  Chinamen  to  Hogs 167 

"  "  "     continued 178 

"  of  Yankees  to  Bears 192 

"  "  "     continued 206 

"  of  Russians  to  Geese 219 

"  of  Hindus  to  Swans 225 

"  of  Frenchmen  to  Frogs  and  Alligators.  .232 

"  u  "        continued 243 

"  of  Irishmen  to  Dogs 253 

"  "  "        continued 265 

"  of  certain  Persons  to   Pigeons,   and  of 

Spaniards  to  Cocks 280 

"  of  Jews  to  Goats 287 

"  "  "      continued 296 

"  of  Greeks  to  Sheep 309 

"  of  certain  Persons  to  Parrots  and  Mock- 

ing-Birds 321 

.  Conclusion 328 


LIST   OF    PORTRAITS 


Vnxxxiim,  Emperor  of  Rome. .  page  8 

Thomas  Wilson,  I).  1).,  LL.D 8 

,,  the  Beminole  Chief 15 

Jenny  Land 21 

D<    Witt  Clinton 21 

William  VI.,  Duke  of  Van  Beyeren 

(Flanders) 23 

Lyman  Beeeher,  D.  D 24 

John  Jacob  Aator 25  I 

Andrew  Jackson 27 

Madame  Trollope 28 

Zomalacarregm,  the  Carlist  Chief. .  29 

Fernando  Cortez 32 

I      leriok  the  Great 34 

Maximilian  I.,  Emperor  of  Germany  35 

nt  de  Gobelin 37 

EHeanora  of  Austria 40 

1..  Etonciere 41 

John  Re*  vea.  Esq 49 

-     William  Cuetafl,  Bart  and  M.  P. . .  50 
Thomas  "Wood,  the  abstemious  Mil- 
ler   56 

_-•■  <  aiming,  M.  P 59 

Adam  Walker 61 

.in  Cook 62 

Maximo,  the  Aztec 66 

Suraj-u  Powlah,  the  Hindu  Nabob.  71 

Clinton 72 

Anne  of  Cleves 73 

Joahna  Makoniane 74 

Alexander  Aubert,  Esq.,  F.  R.  S.  . .  77 
Dorothy  Pentreath,  of  Mousehole,  in 
Cornwall,  the  last  Person  who 
ooold  converse  in  the  Cornish 

Language 80 

William  Charles  Henry,  Prince  of 

Holland 81 

Painter  of  Flowers 91 

Gondoroel 96 

John  Howard  .    97 

109 

Harriet  Martineau 112 

I>  ivid  lluin." 112 

nd  Bnrke 116 

Of  WiekloW H8 

Henry  Ylll.  of  England 119 


Cardinal  Wolsey page  120 

Charles  Caspar  Siebold,  Surgeon. .  .121 

Ferdinand  II.,  King  of  Naples 125 

Mea  Matuiani 127 

Washington  Allston 131 

Swedenborg 132 

L.  Maria  Bassi 135 

Victoria  Colonna 136 

Melanethon 138 

Rammohun  Roy 140 

Edward  VI 142 

Sir  Isaac  Newton 144 

Abdul-Medjid,  Sidtan  of  Turkey. .  .149 

Patrick  Russell,  M.  D.,  F.  R.  A. 151 

Abbas-Mirza,  Shah  of  Persia 154 

Francis  Joseph,  Emperor  of  Austria.  182 

Erasmus 190 

Joe  Smith,  the  Mormon  Prophet. .  .194 
Meta-Koosega,  a  Chippewa  Chief.  .209 
A  Captive  Female  among  Indians.  .210 

Daniel  "Webster 212 

General  Anthony  Wayne 216 

Paul,  Emperor  of  Russia 219 

Emperor  Alexander 220 

Grand-Duke  Constantine 221 

John  Cooke  Van  Exeter 222 

Louis  XVI.  of  France 237 

Ledru  Rollin 247 

Louis  Napoleon 2 18 

Lewis  Cass 260 

Laurence  Sterne 262 

Fenelon 269 

Ben  Jonson 279 

Francisco  Goya,  Painter 282 

Sforza 287 

Johannus  Josephus  Guillelmus  Bru- 
te . . 309 

Kossuth 312 

Alexander  the  Great 314 

Plato 315 

Oberlin 316 

Ealergi,  the  Greek  Patriot 319 

Paul  Jove 321 

Duke  of  Devonshire 322 

Lavater 325 

Abby  Kelly  Foster 326 


COMPARATIVE  PHYSIOGNOMY. 


CHAPTER   I. 


Aristotle,  or  some  other  equally  sage  philosopher,  has  said, 
t;  Man  is  an  animal."  If  man  was  not  well  aware  of  this  fact 
long  before  the  saying  was 
uttered,  he  has  certainly 
confirmed  it  in  innumera- 
ble instances  since,  not  on- 
ly in  words,  but  in  actions. 
It  is  a  humiliating  truth,  of 
which  many  people  seem 
proud ;  but,  as  humility  is 
a  rare  and  inestimable  vir- 
tue, it  is  well  that  we  should 
be  reminded  of  our  frailty 
by  a  just  comparison  of  our- 
selves with  the  brute  crea- 
tion. "What  does  hinder  man 
from  speaking  like  an  angel 
on  the  topic  that  most  inter- 
ests him,  and  upon  which 
he  most  wishes  to  interest 
others?  It  is  the  animal 
nature  that  oppresses  and 
clouds  his  mind,  alas !  alas ! 
But  there  is  a  divine  fire 
within  him  that  struggles 


14 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


against  the  superincumbent  mass,  and  ever  and  anon  casts  it 
high  in  air.  mingled  and  confounded  with  substances  of  a 
lighter  and  more  ethereal  nature;  and  there  is  a  sun  of  truth 
and  Love  that  clears  away  the  dark  mists  that  obscure  his 

It,  qow,  we  were  going  to  write  a  poem,  we  would  com- 
mence with  an  invocation,  like  that  with  which  Milton  intro- 
duces his  "  Paradise  Lost ;"  but,  "  gentle  reader,"  we  claim 
for  our  subject  a  scientific  character,  and  we  intend  to  treat 
it  accordingly.  An  invocation,  uttered  within  the  chamber 
of  the  soul,  is  none  the  less  appropriate  on  that  account. 

We  commence,  then,  with  the  admission  that  "  man  is  an 
animal."     A  comparison  of  himself  with  the  inferior  animals 

has  led  him,  in  all  ages 
of  the  world,  to  apply  the 
names  of  animals  to  men, 
and  the  names  of  men  to 
animals,  on    the    ground 
of  a  resemblance  between 
them.   There  is  often  great 
significance  in  the  words 
calf,  goose,  dog,  monkey,  and  so  on,  when  applied  contemptu- 
ously.    They  betray  fragments  of  a  true  science,  perverted  to 
the  degradation  of  human  beings.     There  is  equal  evidence 
of  tlierudiments  of  this  science  in  the  popular  mind  in  the 
use  of  the  words  kitty,  laml,  duck,  dove,  and  the  names  of 
other  gentle  and  favorite  pets,  applied  to  those  who  have  cor- 
responding traits.     In  a  rude  and  simple  state  of  society,  the 
designation  of  an  individual  by  some  ruling  trait  of  charac- 
ter, embodied  in  the  form  of  some  animal,  shows  what  foun- 
dation this  department  of  Physiognomy  has  in  nature  and  in 
the  human  mind,  and  how  easily  and  naturally  it  is  learned. 
It  is  not  probable  that  the  American  Indians  are  indebted  to 
our  modern  civilization  for  an  observation  of  those  correspond- 
encee  which  have  led  them  to  apply  the  terms  wild-cat,  olack- 
hawk,  alligator,  snapping-turtle,  and  the  like,  to  their  chiefs 
and  warriors. 

Hut,  lest  the  reader  should  suppose  that  his  estimation  of 


BEASTS    AND   BIRDS. 


15 


man  is  much  higher  than  our  own,  we  will  here  state  that, 
in  our  opinion,  the  essential  attributes  of  a  human  being 
elevate  him  to  a  point  be- 
yond comparison  with  the 
animal  creation.  The  term 
man,  in  its  highest  sense, 
is  synonymous  with  angel. 
Men  are  not  born,  and  per- 
adventure  we  are  not  men 
when  we  "  come  to  man's 
estate."  It  may  be  that  we 
are  but "  children  of  an  old- 
er growth."  Man  is  the 
result  of  education,  of  im- 
provement. He  is  "self- 
made,"  if  he  be  made  at  all,  and  the  character  which  he  forms 
for  himself  is  indicated  in  his  countenance.  But  if  truly  a 
man,  he  considers  himself  the  workmanship  of  a  higher  power, 
for  in  his  own  creation  he  works  from  a  sense  of  duty,  and  in 
opposition  to  himself,  or  to  the  animal  which  Nature  has  made 
him.    We  say  emphatically — 

"  Man  is  a  name  of  honor  for  a  king"  — 

though,  according  to  the  definition,  most  men  who  are  pro- 
moted to  royalty  are  worthy  of  the  title  of  "  king  of  beasts." 


"  Man  is  an  animal,"  but  he  is  more.     He  has  the  privilege 
of  naming  all  the  fowls  of  the  air,  the  beasts  of  the  field,  and 


16 


OOMRA  i:\HV  B    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


(fa  fishes  of  the  BOS.  The  lion  is  to  eat  straw  like  the  ox,  but 
he  ifl  DO  LeflS  I  lion  on  that  account;  and  so  it  is  with  every 
other  Bavage  beast,  or  passion  in  the  human  beast.  If  the 
beast  be  made  human,  the  comparison  is  favorable  to  the 
man  ;  but  if  the  man  be  made  animal,  the  comparison  is  fa- 
vorable to  the  beast.     Dear  reader,  we  do  not  wish  to  puzzle 

you,  but  do  you  not  see  the 
difference  between  compar- 
ing a  beast  with  a  man,  and 
comparing  a  man  with  a 
beast  ?  Yes,  you  see  there 
is  some  difference  between 
calling  an  ass  a  faithful  ser- 
vant and  calling  a  faithful 
servant  an  ass !  If,  there- 
fore, in  the  following  pages, 
we  fail  to  observe  this  dis- 
tinction, you  will,  for  humanity's  sake,  pardon  us,  knowing 
that  it  was  not  intentional. 

The  inferior  races  are  like  infants,  who,  as  is  well  known, 
go  on  all-fours.  The  Ethiopian  who  opened  this  chapter  is 
Tike  a  brat  just  learning  to  stand.  Observe  the  posture  — the 
arms,  body,  legs,  and  feet— and  you  will  be  struck  with  the 
similarity.  What  a  reminiscence  of  infancy  is  awakened  by 
that  physiognomy !  Let  it  teach  thee  not  to  despise  one  who 
is  as  Nature  made  him,  until  thou  canst  deny  that  thou  wast 
ever  a  child.  Thou  wert  misshapen,  and  some  time  in  com- 
ing to  the  condition  even  of  a  quadruped,  from  which  thou 

mightst  have  grown  a  satyr  — 

"  Thy  face  itself 

Half  mated  with  the  royal  stamp  of  man, 
And  half  o'ercome  with  beast !" 

Plato's  definition  of  man  was,  "  A  bird  without  feathers." 
This  is  carrying  the  comparison  rather  too  far,  but  it  may  be 
1  that  in  many  respects  man  has  a  striking  resemblance 
to  the  bird.  The  bird  aspires  to  a  similar  standing,  though 
wisely  he  never  takes  advantage  of  his  position.  The  feath- 
ered gentry  are,  we  believe,  biped  animals  without  an  excep- 


BEASTS    AND   BIRDS. 


IT 


tion,  and  it  is  upon  his  position  upon  two  legs  that  man  prides 
himself.     Birds  show  something  of  the  same  vanity,  without 
therefore  laying  any  claim  to  superi- 
ority.    They  do,  indeed,  make  use  of 
all-fours  in  travelling,  but  it  is  never 
with  more  than  two  at  a  time.    Birds, 
however,  have  a  greater  likeness  to 
some  people  than  to  others.     There 
are  certain  persons  for  ever  flying 
about,  making  a  greater  flourish  with 
their  arms  than  with  their  feet :  they 
preserve  their  hands  in  gloves,  as 
carefully  as  a  bird  does  his  in  feath- 
ers ;  and  when  they  are  not  swinging 
their  arms,  in  imitation  of  rapid  trav- 
elling, they  carry  their  hands  tucked 
under  their  coat-tails,  behind   their 
backs.     They  are  bound  at  all  events 
not  to  show  their  hands,  lest  people 
should  know  that  they  have  any,  and 
should  insist  upon  their  making  use 
of  them.     The  man  who  very  much 
resembles  a  bird  invariably  attempts 
to  live  by  his  wits,  however  little  his 
noddle  may  contain.     But  he  is  not, 
by  any  means,  the  only  person  who 
adopts  this  method  of  gaining  a  livelihood, 
semble  foxes  and  pussy-cats  do  the  same. 

But  as  every  person  has  an  individuality  of  his  own,  which 
is  not  to  be  confounded  with  that  of  any  other,  it  is  necessary 
that  we  should  be  more  particular.  Here  is  a  person  (see 
next  page)  with  a  sharp,  bird-like  countenance,  who  is  trying 
to  assure  himself  that  he  has  a  genuine  bill,  or  that  it  is  not  a 
jaw  with  teeth  in  it,  by  which  he  is  in  danger  of  being  bitten. 
The  result  of  the  examination  will  probably  be,  that  he  lias  a 
long  bill,  and  that  he  feels  like  a  bird.  He  is  evidently  of 
the  kind  that  was  forbidden  to  the  Jews,  for  the  reason  prob- 
ably that  he  is  too  much  like  them  to  be  "  taken  in ;"  and  his 


Those  who  re- 


1- 


(    -MI'AKATIVi:    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


partiality  for  bills  is  entirely  on  account  of  the  havoc  they 
among  tlir  frogs,  and  young  lizards,  and  other  small-fry, 

that  are  found  in  shallow 
places.  His  ear  is  a  migh- 
ty small  one,  just  fitted  to 
be  the  lodging-place  of  a 
quill ;  and  you  might  know, 
without  asking  his  attention 
for  a  few  moments,  that  he 
is  a  "deaf  adder."  Think 
you  he  makes  any  great  use 
of  the  quill  upon  which  he 
prides  himself  so  amazing- 
ly? It  is  an  apology  for 
not  grasping  with  his  hands 
something  more  substantial 
than  a  feather,  and  it  is  a  token  that  he  plumes  himself  upon 
his  ability. 

Here  is  a  bird  on  a 
roost,  sharpening  his  wit 
witli  a  penknife,  a  migh- 
ty labor  of  his  hands, 
considering  the  disposi- 
tion of  his  feet  to  take 
upon  themselves  the  of- 
fice of  handling.     Ex- 
amine him  from  top  to 
toe,  and   you  will   ex- 
pect that  when  anything 
comes   in   his  way,   he 
will  remove  it  with  his 
foot ;  and  that  when  he 
wishes  to  draw  anything 
n  larer  to  him,  his  feet 
will  be  fonnd  more  ac- 
commodating than   his 
hands.    The  hand,  in  his 
opinion,  has  a  higher  of- 


BEASTS    AND   BIRDS. 


19 


flee  to  perform.  It  is  a  quill-holder,  and  there  is  no  knowing 
what  high  flights  this  gray  goose  may  take  into  the  regions 
of  space,  to  bring  down  fancies  and  imaginations  — 

44  Such  as  take  lodgings  in  a  head 
That's  to  be  let  unfurnished"  — 

into  the  regions  of  tangible  reality. 

What  have  we  here?  A  bird, 
saving  the  feathers,  which  might 
be  supplied  with  a  few  tatters,  or 
else  with  a  coat  more  smooth  and 
glossy.  This  also  is  one  of  the 
creations  of  Darley,  who  seems 
ambitious  to  have  his  creations 
classed  with  those  of  Nature. 
Those  legs  !  —  there  is  something 
in  their  position  that  beggars 
description.  What  need  we  to 
speak  of  the  body,  the  arms,  the 
head,  the  features,  the  expres- 
sion ?  they  speak  for  themselves, 
and  it  is  fortunate  for  a  good  ex- 
ample that  it  teaches  its  own  les- 
son. 

By  dwelling  too  long  on  the 
subject  of  birds,  we  are  in  dan- 
ger of  becoming  nighty.  We 
will  simply  say  that  the  speci- 
mens of  the  rara  avis  are,  if  the  popular  opinion  be  true,  very 
frequently  met  with.  The  individual  above,  no  more  than 
those  preceding  him,  can  be  accused  of  soiling  his  hands  by 
very  hard  labor,  and  will  certainly  get  his  living  in  some 
easy  way,  without  any  greater  tax  upon  his  wit  than  is  natural 
to  him. 

On  the  following  page  is  a  real  "fly-away"  —  and  she 
is  but  one  of  a  multitude  of  the  same  variety.  Whether 
it  be  a  robin,  a  tomtit,  or  a  lady-bird,  it  is  not  important 
to  decide.     But  let  us,  if  our  subject  does  not  keep  us  up  in 


20 


OOMFA  B  ATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 


spite  of  ourselves,  descend  from  birds  in  general  to  birds  in 
particular.     We  can  not  make  minute  observations  upon  the 

wing  —  and  are  not  so 
skilled  in  marksmanship 
as  not  to  require  our  bird 
to  be  at  rest  in  order  to 
hit  him.     When  the  art- 


ist haa  made  a  capital  hit,  and  fixed  his  quarry  to  the  spot  on 
which  it  stood,  which  is  generally  some  old  limb  of  a  tree,  we 
are  prepared  to  aim  at  the  mark,  and  may  stand  some  chance 


of  bitting  it  too. 


THE  LION. 


21 


CHAPTER   II, 


In  likening  human  beings  to  animals,  people  sometimes 
blunder.  Somebody  took  it  into  his  head  to  call  Jenny  Lind 
the  "Swedish  nightingale;"  and,  in 
endeavoring  to  conform  her  face  to  the 
theory,  the  most  untruthful  and  insip- 
id representations  have  been  palmed 
upon  the  world  as  likenesses.  The 
truth  is,  Jenny  Lind,  in  the  expression 
and  contour  of  the  face,  and  in  gait 
and  mien,  resembles  a  lioness.  There 
is  something  in  the  unimposing  dignity 
and  active  strength  of  the  lioness  that 
contents  us,  while  it  awakens  an  al- 
most unconscious  admiration  ;  we  feel 
that  she  is  fully  deserving  of  her  kingly 
mate.  And  these  same  qualities  strike  us  in  the  character, 
personal  appearance,  and  manners,  of  Jenny  Lind.     It  is  no 

objection  to  this  resemblance 
that  her  voice  is  powerful,  res- 
onant, and  of  great  compass  — 
for  it  is  the  counterpart  of  the 
most  splendid  base  that  was 
ever  heard. 

A  prominent  characteristic 
of  those  who  resemble  the  lion 
is  boldness  of  project,  and  a 
bringing  of  distant  places  and 
objects  into  a  state  of  equilib- 
rium, by  a  law  like  that  which 
governs  commerce  and  the  sea. 
"  De  Witt  Clinton  and  the  Grand  Canal"  is  a  very  natural 


■>.) 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


iatioD  of  ideas  and  the  face  of  that  individual  shows  a 
aemblance  to  the  lion.  That  very  face,  if  it  ap- 
proached more  literally  to  the  lion, 
to  which  it  bears  a  resemblance, 
would  be  that  of  a  "  regular  bruis- 
er ;"  for  the  theatre  in  which  his 
lion-quality  exercises  itself  is  one 
requiring  pickaxe,  and  crowbar, 
and  "  horse-power,"  literally  to  the 
end  of  time.  Where  this  is  the 
case,  horse-power  may  be  consid- 
ered as  synonymous  with  reason 
caught  in  the  process  of  a  demon- 
stration and  unable  to  extricate  itself.  It  is  there  bound  like 
Ixion  to  a  wheel,  to  suffer  torture,  till  the  power  that  resides 
in  a  complication  of  wheels  comes  to  its  relief.  The  horse,  it 
should  be  observed,  is  horribly  afraid  of  the  lion. 

The  person  represented  on  the  preceding  page  (De  Witt 
Clinton)  has  a  German  face,  and  the  Germans  as  a  nation  re- 
semble lions.     Of  the  next  two  figures,  the  countenance  of 


THE   LION. 


23 


the  female  is  almost  literally  that  of  a  lion  fast  asleep,  while 
the  face  of  the  man  is  deprived  of  this  dignified  resemblance 


by  a  paltry  pipe.  In  whatever  the  German  descends  fi 
proper  characteristics,  he  approaches  the  hog.  Canals 
Nature  has  failed  to  es- 
tablish intercommunica- 
tion by  rivers,  are  such 
works  of  art  as  bold  minds 
alone  are  capable  of  pro- 
jecting—  and  Germany 
abounds  in  these.  In  lit- 
erature, science,  theolo- 
gy, and  in  everything,  the 
Germans  are  distinguish- 
ed for  the  vastness  of 
their  projects,  and  for  ex- 
ecution equal  to  their  de- 
signs. Everything,  from 
the  crown  of  the  head  to 
the  sole  of  the  foot,  and 


om  his 
,  where 


-; 


COMPARATIVE    rilYSIOGXOMY. 


from  the  treasury  to  the  chest  in  which  the  laborer  deposites 
linings,  ie  upon  an  extensive  scale.     What  people  in  the 

world  make  cakes  of  such  vast 
circumference  and  diameter  as 
they?  Whether  Eeason  has 
enough  concern  in  their  nation- 
al affairs  to  substitute  intellect- 
ual and  moral  power  for  physi- 
cal, and  labor-saving  machine- 
\|  ry  for  animal  force,  is  a  prob- 
lem in  the  course  of  solution. 

A  noble  lion  is  that  of  which 
we  are  reminded  by  a  face  like 
the  following.  Some  large  proj- 
ect of  usefulness,  in  his  own 
proper  field,  is  as  necessary  to  this  person  as  the  breath  he 
draws.     His  animal  nature  is  suited  to  his  moral  and  intel- 


¥7, 


^ 


lectoal,  and  is  subservient  to  the  higher.     Of  the  lion,  it  may 
bi  said  — 


He  has,  I  know  not  what, 


Of  greatness  in  his  looks,  and  of  high  fate, 
That  almost  awes  me." 


TIIE    LION. 


25 


He  is  a  symbol  of  the  mighty  passions  that  slumber  in  the 
human  breast,  waiting  to  be  taken  into  the  service  of  Benev- 
olence, which  is  "  mightiest  in  the  mighty,"  and  of  Truth, 
which  is  "  mighty  and  will  prevail."  The  nice  of  the  lion, 
therefore,  has  a  wonderful  resemblance  to  the  human,  but  to 
some  persons  much  more  than  to  others. 

The  next  example  which  we  present  of  a  resemblance  to  the 
lion  is  John  Jacob  Astor.     The  history  of  this  individual,  in 


\v 


(     v 


connection  with  his  face,  is  a  confirmation  of  the  principle 
stated  at  the  outset.  A  sordid  look,  we  see,  is  compatible 
with  .the  lion,  otherwise  there  would  be  no  pertinence  in  the 
allusion  to  "  the  lion's  share."  But  there  is  no  littleness  in 
anything  that  he  thinks  or  does.  It  is  not  emulation  that 
makes  the  lion-like  individual  do  things  on  a  larger  scale  than 
others.  lie  has  the  desire  of  doing  great  things,  but  they  are 
little  in  his  estimation  when  he  has  done  them.  He  there- 
fore takes  no  pride  in  what  he  does ;  and  to  show  that  what 
others  stare  at,  is  nothing  in  his  eyes,  he  may  give  it  away. 
The  "Astor  House"  was  given  by  the  father  to  the  son,  for  a 
dollar,  it  is  said,  directly  after  it  was  completed. 

There  is  a  strong  infusion  of  the  noble  qualities  of  the  lion 
into  the  mastiff,  and  the  dogs  of  St.  Bernard ;  but  the  dog 
that  bays  the  moon  is  like  those  who  magnify  a  sixpence  to 
the  size  of  that  deceitful  luminary,  and  are  slightly  lunatic. 


26 


CnMI'AKATIVK    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


The  individual  before  ua  bears  a  perverted  resemblance  to 
the  lion,  but  resembles  more  nearly  the  variety  of  dogs  just 

referred  to,  and  may  be  supposed 
/.  ~   .   „  to  hold  on  to  a  shilling  so  tightly 


as  to  press  a  hole  through  it ! 
l^  '_^     v§N2|ra  ^he    resemblance   between  An- 

drew Jackson  and  the  lion,  in  char- 
acter and  physiognomy,  may  be 
easily  traced  in  the  representations 
given  on  the  following  page.  Mag- 
nanimity, in  one  of  its  phases,  is  sy- 
nonymous with  heroism,  with  great- 
ness of  soul,  and  greatness  in  noble 
deeds.  It  is  fitting,  therefore,  that 
the  "  old  hero"  should  resemble  a 
lion.  The  sign  of  the  choleric  temperament  is  characteristic 
of  both,  and  of  those  previously  mentioned.  How  could  Jack- 
son  brush  that  hair  of  his  in  any  other  way  than  Nature  dis- 
poses it?  His  disposition  is  to  resemble  the  lion,  as  well  in 
the  external  as  the  internal,  or  he  would  resemble  him  in 
neither.  How  obvious  it  is,  therefore,  that  the  character  must 
impress  itself  upon  the  countenance,  and  that  they  must  cor- 
respond with  each  other  perfectly  !  What  an  interesting  face 
is  that  of  Jackson,  when  we  read  his  character  indelibly  im- 
pressed upon  it,  and  trace  the  resemblance  wThich  we  here 
discover ! 

Let  it  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  animal  passions,  when 
governed  by  the  moral  and  intellectual  faculties,  are  very 
different  from  wdiat  they  are  in  animals.  This  is  necessary, 
if  we  would  form  a  correct  idea  of  the  person  who  has  any  of 
the  marks  of  the  lion  in  his  countenance.  Such  a  person  is 
either  generous  or  cruel,  peaceable  or  savage,  noble  or  treach- 
erous, magnanimous  or  mean.  The  most  truly  magnanimous 
person  is  not  above  performing  menial  offices  for  the  sake  of 
the  happiness  of  others,  and  this  is  from  a  faculty  that  in  ani- 
mals and  in  bad  people  is  the  very  opposite  of  magnanimity — 
it  is  from  a  faculty  that  may  be  called  meanness.  This  fac- 
ulty has  a  large  sign  in  the  lion ;  but  as  it  aspires  to  be  the 


THE   LION. 


27 


servant,  and  to  do  the  bidding  of  Magnanimity  and  of  all  the 
higher  faculties,  the  lion  stands  for  nobility  in  the  human  race, 
as  his  physiognomy  shows. 

The  love  of  overcoming  and 
the  love  of  triumph  are  elements 
of  tremendous  power  in  the  lion, 
and  are  prodigious  in  those  who 
are  to  be  classed  under  the  head 
of  "  lions."   The  traits  which  dis- 


tinguish this  animal  are  suitable  to  royalty.  Of  the  British 
sovereigns,  "William  the  Conqueror,  William  II.,  Henry  L, 
Richard  I.,  King  John,  Edward  I.,  Richard  II.,  Richard  III., 
James  I.,  William  III.,  and  George  I.,  have  the  lion  strongly 
marked  in  their  countenances ;  while  nearly  all  the  rest  have 
a  wonderful  resemblance  to  oxen.  We  have  examples  also  of 
likenesses  to  the  lion  in  the  persons  and  characters  of  Mary 
Queen  of  Scots,  Oliver  Cromwell,  and  Prince  George.  Rob- 
ert Boyle  is  another  of  the  same  class. 


^ 


c<  »MPABATIYE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


CHAPTER   III. 


Pubs,  with  her  nose  in  a  pan  of  milk,  is  called  Trollop ; 
but  it  is  impossible  to  say  that  it  is  on  account  of  her  likeness 

to  Madame  T ,  whose  portrait  is  here  presented.    There 

is  no  doubt  but  that  the  "  milk 
of  human  kindness"  is  as  grate- 
ful to  the  one  as  milk  is  to  the 
other,  and  the  two  appetites  gen- 
erally go  together.  The  cat  is 
remarkably  fond  of  both,  though 
a  little  at  a  time  satisfies.  She 
relishes  petting  and  fondling  ve- 
ry  highly,  but  is  soon  satisfied, 
and  then  "no  more  play." — "Too 
much  of  a  good  thing"  she  stu- 
diously  aYoids ;  and,  if  you  ob- 
serYe,  you  will  see  that  she  acts  upon  the  principle  of  "  not 
casting  her  pearls  before  swine."  She  is  Yery  nice  and  very 
particular,  and  when  things  do  not  go  to  suit  her  she  is  a  per- 
fect virago  —  of  which  we  haYe  a  fine  sample  o' nights,  when 
she  may  be  supposed  to  be  engaged  in  giving  curtain-lectures 
to  her  spouse,  or  haying  a  dispute  with  her  neighbors.  You 
would  not  think,  to  see  her  so  quietly  sleeping  the  next  morn- 
ing, that  she  had  been  playing  the  termagant  so  fiercely.  The 
w<>n,ler  is,  that  after  such  serious  difficulties  she  could  get  to 
bed  and  sleep  so  sweetly,  and  look  the  next  day  such  a  per- 
fect picture  of  amiability  and  contentment.  Should  any  one 
call  her  a  "  spit-fire,"  you  would  declare  it  to  be  slander ;  but 
wait,  and  presently  you  shall  see  for  yourself. 

Bat  it  is  very  wonderful  how  the  cat  can  have  such  a  sweet, 
amiable,  loving  countenance,  when  her  disposition  is  the  very 


THE   CAT. 


29 


opposite  of  that.  ~No — you  must  not  exaggerate  her  faults: 
she  has  affection  and  forbearance  as  well  as  cruelty  and  slan- 
der. Besides,  it  may  be  said  in  extenuation,  that  her  quarrel- 
some disposition  is  connected  with  great  love  of  neatness,  for 
the  simple  reason  that  she  is  "put  out"  when  things  are  in 
disorder,  especially  when  her  choler  is  ruffled,  or  airy  part  of 
her  dress  is  disarranged.  The  effort  to  set  things  to  rights 
disturbs  them  all  the  more;  and  this  is  an  excuse  for  still 
more  scolding,  pulling  hair,  scratching,  screaming,  spitting, 
chasing,  and  all  that.  Yery  amiable  this  !  but  we  shall  come 
at  the  amiability  by-and-by. 

It  should  be  known  that  those  who  spend  several  hours  a 
day  in  dressing,  preparatory  to  placing  themselves  on  a  cush- 
ion, or  some  elevation  where  they  may  be  seen,  are  generally 
pleasant  in  society,  but  in  private  life  ill-tempered  and  ill- 
tongued.  The  cat  and  those  who  resemble  her  are  no  excep- 
tions to  this  general  rule. 

But  allowing  that  the  cat  has  a  great  deal  of  softness,  quiet, 
love  of  repose,  contentment,  love  of  children,  love  of  kind 
treatment,  and  love  of  milk,  how  is  it  that  these  are  so  much 
more  observable  in  her  face  than  the  opposite  traits?  The 
reason  is  this  :  the  cat  has  a  wonderful  degree  of  affectation. 
She  can  assume  a  charac- 
ter that  does  not  belong  to 
her;  or,  rather,  she  can 
wear  the  semMance  of  it, 
and  that  is  often  mistaken 
for  the  thing  itself.  Who 
would  doubt,  on  looking 
at  this  individual,  of  his 
ability  to  dissemble  ?  He 
looks  like  a  cat,  and  may 
be  placed  in  the  order  of 
lynxes.  The  same  facul- 
ty which  induces  dissem- 
bling gives  the  power  of 
"acting"  or  of  "  play-act- 
ing" (whichever  term  we  may  choose  to  employ).     The  cat  is 


O  »M  i'AIIATIVE    PIITSIOGXOMY. 


remarkably  fond  of  play ;  and  as  play  is  the  opposite  of  "  sober 
earnest,"  it  takes  Affectation  into  its  service,  aud  changes  the 
deceiver  into  a  comedian.  A  playful  cat  is  an  honest  puss, 
while  a  demure  one  is  deceitful,  treacherous,  cruel.  Playful- 
ness is  associated  with  innocence,  as  it  is  in  children ;  and  it 
is  not  till  "  sober  age  comes  hastening  on,"  that  human  beings 
are  tempted  strong^  to  play  the  hypocrite.  "When  children 
do  so  they  are  not  playful,  they  are  not  happy  ;  and  examples 
of  "juvenile  depravity"  are  of  those  that  are  gloomy,  morose, 
and  inclined  to  disturb  rather  than  to  assist  in  the  plays  of 
other  children.  Here,  then,  are  the  moral  advantages  of 
play  —  the  advantages  of  such  theatricals  as  children  engage 
in,  and  of  public  theatricals,  if  they  are  what  Nature  designed 
them  to  be.  When  play  itself  is  an  affectation,  then  the 
players  are  deceivers,  and  the  acting  is  deception;  their  in- 
nocence is  lost;  and,  being  themselves  corrupt,  they  do  all 
they  can  to  encourage  corruption  in  others,  and  to  corrupt  the 
morals  of  the  good  and  pure. 

The  reader  hardly  need  be  told  that  the  cat  is  sly.  It  is 
her  nature  to  take  by  surprise — she  lives  by  it,  and  therefore 
she  surprises  you  in  everything.  It  makes  her  very  soft  and 
quiet  in  her  manners,  and  this,  if  we  would  understand  her 
character,  must  be  distinguished  from  gentleness.  If  she  had 
gentleness,  she  would  enjoy  her  nights  undisturbed  by  brick- 
bats ;  and  in  that  case,  if  all  people  were  like  her,  "midnight 
outcries  ami  alarms"  would  cease  for  ever.     It  is  very  hard 


THE    CAT.  31 

for  those  who  resemble  cats  to  be  gentle,  and  for  the  same 
reason  it  is  next  to  impossible  for  them  to  be  gentlemen.  Be- 
tween them  and  gentlemen  there  is  as  great  an  antagonism 
as  between  cats  and  dogs. 

But  we  were  speaking  of  slyness.  The  cat  enters  a  room  so 
slyly,  that  you  are  not  aware  of  it  until  she  is  near  you;  and 
she  withdraws  without  your  knowledge,  so  that  you  are  sur- 
prised at  her  absence.  You  feel  something  rubbing  gently 
against  your  leg :  it  is  u  Miss  Puss,"  come  to  soothe  the  whirl- 
wind of  passion  that  she  has  excited  against  herself  the  night 
previous,  and  to  say:  "There,  don't  be  angry — you  see  how 
I  can  be  quiet ;  let  us  now  make  up,  and  I  will  lie  in  your 
arms,  and  purr  you  to  sleep !"  Slyness,  therefore,  in  the  cat, 
is  a  good  thing.  It  goes  out  entirely  when  she  is  angry,  and 
after  a  while  it  comes  to  drive  anger  away.  "Without  it,  how 
would  quarrelsome  people  get  over  their  difficulties,  and  look 
more  bright,  smiling,  and  affectionate,  than  ever? 

People  who  entertain  a  large  number  of  cats,  and  therefore 
look  like  them,  steal  upon  you  unawares,  whether  they  intend 
it  or  not,  and  they  depart  as  slyly  as  they  came.  But  they 
also  meditate  surprises  —  sometimes  of  an  agreeable  nature, 
and  sometimes  of  a  disagreeable — for  the  sake  either  of  en- 
hancing the  pleasure  of  others,  or  of  exciting  alarm.  As  the 
cat  catches  a  mouse  by  surprise  when  it  fancies  itself  enjoying 
its  full  of  liberty  in  the  bounties  and  luxuries  that  surround  it, 
and  lets  it  go  that  it  may  be  again  deceived  —  so  does  the  in- 
dividual who  resembles  a  cat  delight  to  disabuse  people  of 
their  halcyon  enjoyments,  and  to  catch  them  "just  as  they 
are,"  in  the  midst  of  their  domestic  disorder,  or  comfort,  as 
the  case  may  be.  The  people  they  like  to  come  in  upon  are 
those  "undisturbed"  —  at  their  ease  —  "not  dressed  to  be 
seen."  Slyness,  therefore,  plays  into  the  hands  of  Cruelty, 
and  is  exercised  along  with  dissembling;  but  in  this  case 
there  is  no  anger;  it  is  destructiveness  in  cold  blood,  and 
meditated  hypocrisy. 

On  the  following  page  is  a  portrait  of  Cortez,  and  it  is  seen 
to  resemble  a  puma.  A  formidable  cat  this  to  pounce  down 
upon  the  mice  whose  portraits  are  sculptured  on  the  monu- 


OOHPABATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


menta  of  Central  America,  and  represented  in  the  "Aztec 

childrenl"     Now,  gentle  reader,  do  nut  deprive  us  of  the 

pleasure  of  describing  to  you 
the  resemblance  between  the 
Aztecs  and  mice,  which  ani- 
mals we  reserve  for  another 
chapter.  Pray,  take  your 
mind  from  that  subject,  and 
trace  the  feline  qualities  a 
bit  further.  Of  all  animals, 
cats  are  the  most  savage  : 
the  faculties  that  make  them, 
so  are  love  of  triumph,  con- 
test, hurling,  and  resistance. 

Savage  and  bloody  men  have  the  signs  of  these  faculties  very 
.  in  consequence  of  which  they  have  a  resemblance  to 

pumas,  tigers,  leopards,  panthers,  and  wild-cats.     Warriors 


make  special  use  of  the  faculty  of  hurling ;  and  their  cheek- 
bones are  wide,  like  those  of  cats,  indicating  the  strength  of 
this  faculty.  Storms  and  tempests,  with  lightning  and  thun- 
der, are  imitated  by  warriors  on  the  battle-field,  and  by  cats 
in  spitting  fire  at  each  other,  and  uttering  all  sorts  of  strange, 
unearthly,  and  portentous  sounds.  They  exhibit  gusts,  whirl- 
winds, and  a  tempest  of  passion;  and  the  place  for  these  ex- 
hibitions is  the  top  of  the  house,  as  near  the  clouds  as  possible  : 
and  seeing  them  there,  their  looks  and  motions  may  remind 


THE    CAT.  33 

you  of  streaks  of  lightning.  The  eat  is  excited  by  correspond- 
ing things  in  nature,  for  the  worst  performances  of  this  kind 
we  have  observed  to  be  when  — 

"  The  speedy  gleams  the  darkness  swallowed  ; 
Loud,  deep,  and  long,  the  thunder  bellowed ; 
When  e'en  a  child  might  understand 
The  de'il  had  business  on  his  hand." 

To  do  justice  to  our  subject,  we  must  mention  that  the  cat 
and  those  like  her  have  great  parentiveness.  Who  has  not 
witnessed  the  tender  care  of  the  cat  for  her  kittens,  in  select- 
ing a  place,  in  providing  food,  in  comforting  them,  and  in 
carrying  them  in  her  mouth  from  a  place  of  danger  to  one  of 
safety  ?  Who  has  not  witnessed  her  love  for  children,  her  for- 
bearance toward  them  —  as  well  as  learning  her  kittens  to 
mouse,  and,  when  they  come  to  years  of  discretion,  teaching 
them  propriety  and  good  behavior  by  an  occasional  box  on 
the  ear?  She  is,  indeed,  very  affectionate;  and  when  her 
tempests  of  passion  are  over,  she  is  as  warm,  and  sunny,  and 
serene,  as  the  atmosphere  and  sky  after  a  thunder-shower.  It 
is  truly  so  with  those  who  resemble  cats  :  occasional  outbursts 
purify  their  spirits  from  the  unhealthiness  that  is  engendered 
by  quietude  and  stagnation,  and  their  enjoyments  are  en- 
hanced by  contrasts  all  their  lives  long.  Especially  are  they 
so  tenderly  attached  to  children,  that  even  half  the  domestic 
feuds  are  controversies  respecting  the  modes  of  bringing  them 
up  and  giving  them  the  advantages  of  education,  polish,  and 
refinement. 

Fondness  for  children,  an  aptitude  to  teach,  and  the  other 
dispositions  of  the  cat,  are  the  component  parts  of  that  variety 
of  the  genus  homo  called  the  "  schoolmaster,"  and  his  resem- 
blance to  the  cat  in  the  external  is  susceptible  of  ocular  dem- 
onstration. There  is  something  feline  in  his  appearance  as  a 
whole,  and  in  everything  he  says  and  does.  He  requires  the 
pupils  to  be  "  still  as  mice,"  and  watches  them  slyly,  while 
the  pupils  of  his  eyes  wander  about  in  every  possible  corner. 
He  takes  the  cat  for  his  model  in  everything.  She  says  to 
her  kittens :  "  You  may  be  allowed  to  play  with  my  tail, 
which  is  the  pleasantest  thing  you  can  do ;  but,  if  you  do 

3 


34 


(<.M  PA  B  ATI  V  B    I'll  YSIOGNOMY. 


thufl  and  bo,  I  Bhall  punish  you!"  This  is  the  perfect  model 
of  instruction,  aimed  at,  at  home  and  at  school,  but  requiring 
a  knowledge  of  human  nature  for  its  application.  The  Prus- 
sians resemble  cats  —  some  one  kind 
and  some  another.  They  care  more 
for  children  than  other  nations  do,  and 
have  the  best  system  of  education  in 
the  world.  Annexed 
is  the  portrait  of  Fred- 
erick the  Great,  and 
by  his  side  that  of  the 
ounce,  which  he  is  seen 
very  much  to  resem- 
ble.  His  prominent 
traits  are  the  same  that  have  been 
mentioned  as  constituting  a  likeness  to  the  cat ;  but  the  ounce 
is  the  noblest  of  the  cat-kind,  and  a  worthy  representative  of 
so  great  a  man.  In  our  category  of  cats,  the  lion  is  not  in- 
cluded. 


THE    EAGLE. 


35 


CHAPTER   IV. 

The  "  king  of  beasts"  and  the  "  king  of  birds"  are  charac- 
ters fitted  to  represent  royalty  in  the  human  race.  Who  can 
look  upon  this  portrait  of  Maximilian  without  admiration,  con- 
nected with  the  impression  of  its  kingly  attributes,  and  of  its 


resemblance  to  the  eagle  in  those  qualities  which  constitute 
royalty?  Although  this  is  a  kingly  countenance,  it  is  very 
different  from  that  which  resembles  the  lion  ;  but  the  differ- 
ence is  merely  that  which  exists  between  birds  and  beasts  — 
or,  if  it  will  make  our  idea  plainer,  the  one  may  be  called  a 
lion-bird  and  the  other  an  eagle-beast.  In  our  estimation  the 
eagle-countenance  is  more  noble  —  it  is  more  intellectual  — 
it  has  more  of  greatness  —  more  of  that  something  godlike 
which  we  discover  in  the  "bird  of  Jove."  He  looks  down, 
not  in  humility,  nor  yet  in  pride,  but  because  his  eyry  is  on 


30 


COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 


hurl),  and  he  was  born  to  Boar  above  the  clouds,  and  to  look 
on  things  below  as  little  and  insignificant.  There  is  scorn  of 
meanness  in  his  look,  but  no  arrogance;  that  noble  counte- 
nance belies  a  sneer;  he  has  no  ambition  to  soar  higher  and 
to  explore  more  lands  than  others,  for  his  superiority  stands 
confessed.  Envv  may  rankle  in  others,  but  in  him  it  is  sub- 
ordinate; and  those  whom  he  takes  in  his  talons  and  "drops 
on  Fortune's  hill,"  may  feel  contempt  for  and  sneer  at  those 
below  them. 

In  this  last  remark  we  have  hit  upon  a  class  of  persons  who 
resemble  owls.  In  the  formation  of  certain  individuals,  Na- 
ture seems  to  have  had  an  eye  to  the 
preceding,  but  to  have  fallen  just  so 
far  short  as  she  falls  short  of  creating 
an  eagle  when  she  makes  an  owl ! 
They  may  be  referred  directly  to 
"  chaos  and  old  night"  for  their  ori- 
gin. The  nocturnal  influences  over- 
shadow and  rest  down  upon  them, 
and  their  souls  are  filled  with  h owl- 
ets, gloomy  forests,  deserted  castles, 
haunted  steeples,  and  graveyards ! 
They  see  only  by  moonlight ;  and  if 
love  ever  enters  their  hearts,  and  they 
essay  to  express  it  in  sounds  of  affection,  accompanied  by  a 
guitar,  at  that  witching  time  of  night  to  which  their  nature 
and  sentiment  incline  them,  all  nature  should  be  hushed,  and 
there  could  be  nothing  more  appropriate  than  the  injunction  — 

11  Silence,  ye  cats,  while  Ralph  to  Cynthia  yowls, 
And  makes  night  hideous  —  answer  him,  ye  owls!" 

Envy  and  Jealousy  are  birds  of  night,  and  are  associated 
with  love,  and  with  every  other  faculty,  in  owls  and  in  those 
persons  of  whom  this  bird  is  the  most  suitable  representative. 
Such  people  have  also  in  their  faces  very  large  ostentation  and 
love  of  eminence,  the  latter  being  converted  by  the  former 
int.  a  perpetual  sneer.  From  envy  and  jealousy,  with  sub- 
terfuge and  the  love  of  contest,  are  begotten  detraction,  and 


THE  OWL. 


37 


robbery,  and  other  things,  for  which  the  patroness  Diana  is 
to  be  held  responsible.  Subterfuges  are  delicate  morsels  to 
those  who  resemble  owls,  as  moles  and  mice  are  to  owls  them- 


selves ;  and  ofttimes  these  gnawing,  un- 
dermining, burrowing,  mischief-making 

little  gnomes  are  elevated  on  the  wings  of  paltry  ambition 
in  the  endeavor  to  outsoar  the  eagle.  As  bats  and  vampires 
flit  through  the  air  in  the  darkness,  and  impart  a  spirit-fire  to 
the  owl,  so  these  spirits  of  the  shades  flit  through  the  minds  of 
the  owlish,  and  are  the  nectar  and  ambrosia  that  make  them 
fancy  they  are  gods. 

Strange  things  happen  sometimes,  as  when  Subterfuge  be- 
comes ambitious.  Then  the  cunning  and  artifice  of  the  cat 
are  owlish,  and  are  exhibited  in  sublime  humbuggery  —  in 
fortune-telling,  sorcery,  magic,  and  the  like ;  in  other  words, 
the  cat  is  turned  into  an  owl.  The  ogling  and  staring  which 
are  so  characteristic  of  the  owl,  are  no  less  conspicuous  in 
those  who  resemble  him.  The  trait  exhibits  itself  in  a  love 
of  raree-shows,  and  inclines  its  possessors  to  the  profession  of 
showmen.  They  take  it  for  granted  that  what  they  themselves 
are  most  fond  of,  there  must  be  a  demand  for;  and  thus  they 
"kill  two  birds  with  one  stone"  —  stare  all  the  time  at  won- 
derful sights,  which  they  are  exceedingly  fond  of  doing,  and 


33 


COMPAR  \'II\  i:    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


make  money  by  exhibiting  to  others.  The  men  who  provide 
things  they  consider  the  greatest  curiosities  of  all,  and 
mfidenl  of  being  so  regarded  by  the  community.     They 

have  ii"  idea  of  people  being  so  stupid  as  not  to  appreciate 

them.    Their  self-complacency,  therefore,  grows  to  something 

w:  \  decided  in  the  expression  of  the  face. 


The  owl  has  dignity — he  has  no  notion  of  being  put  out  of 
countenance.  He  fancies  that  all  the  birds  of  the  forest  have 
come  to  see  him,  when  in  reality  they  have  come  to  pick  at 
him  :  therefore  he  stands  stock  still,  like  a  wax  figure,  as 
highly  gratified  at  being  looked  at  as  in  looking.  He  sets  the 
example  of  "  mute  astonishment,"  as  that  which  is  most  be- 
coming to  the  spectators,  interrupted  now  and  then  by  a  hoot 
or  a  screech,  according  as  the  subject  is  merely  wonderful  or 
of  the  nature  of  something  terrific.  He  exhibits  an  indiffer- 
ence to  the  honors  that  are  paid  him,  for  the  simple  reason 
that  Nature  compels  him  to  affect  the  eagle,  and  has  given 
him  a  vast  deal  of  ostentation.  He  sits  in  judgment  on  oth- 
ers—  is  the  severest,  and  in  his  own  estimation  the  wisest,  of 
critic-.  "  A-  wise  as  an  owl"  is  a  proverb  that  places  him  on 
a  lcvd  with  Solomon,  whose  fondness  for  collecting  all  the 
strange  and  wonderful  sights  in  nature  and  art  furnished  him 
with  knowledge,  and  made  him  all  the  wiser. 

The  noble  use  which  is  performed  by  those  we  are  now  do- 


THE   OWL. 


39 


scribing  is  the  imparting  of  instruction,  by  means  of  illustra- 
tion and  example,  in  whatever  is  most  interesting  and  impor- 
tant in  the  arts  and  sci- 
ences. It  is  the  storing 
up  in  cabinets  and  mu- 
seums, and  thereby  in 
the  mind,  of  historical 
reminiscences,  and  the 
wonders  of  the  world, 
and  the  exercising  of 
a  powerful  moral  influ- 
ence by  the  interest  and 
sympathy  awakened  for 
the  inhabitants  of  other 
climes,  and  by  the  me- 
morials of  generations 
that  are  past  and  gone. 
But  what  need  has  any- 
body to  be  told  of  this  ?  This  mode  of  instruction,  it  is  per- 
ceived, is  especially  juvenile.  In  those  who  resemble  owls 
there  is  very  great  love  of  children,  as  there  is  also  in  those 
who  resemble  cats ;  and  this  love  is  connected  with  the  desire 
and  the  ability  to  teach. 

The  most  easy  and  impressive  manner  comes,  as  a  matter 
of  course,  from  that  juvenile  love  of  exhibition  and  wonder- 
ment that  has  been  already  described.  The  love  of  surprise 
in  this  case  is  not  gratified  by  falsehood,  but  by  knowledge  — 
not  by  the  hallucinations  of  the  mind,  but  by  the  evidence  of 
the  senses ;  and  thus  the  love  of  truth  is  cultivated,  and  with 
it  the  love  of  nature  and  the  love  of  man,  and  every  good 
and  noble  sentiment  in  the  human  breast.  In  our  view,  there 
is  no  picture  of  tender,  earnest,  devoted  parental  affection 
equal  to  that  of  an  owl  caring  for  her  young,  if  the  represen- 
tations we  have  seen  be  true,  as  we  doubt  not  that  they  are. 
Yet  the  notion  which  most  people  have  of  the  owl  would 
cause  them  to  pass  these  pictures  by  without  appreciation  or 
sympathy.  They  sutler  the  worse  features  of  the  bird  to 
eclipse  this  shining  quality  (maternal  love),  and  they  conceive 


40 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


that  the  appearance  of  it  is  either  a  burlesque  on  something 
touching  or  sentimental  (all  the  more  ridiculous  for  its  at- 
tempting to  elicit  a 
feeling  in  the  beholder 
which  has  no  existence 
in  the  object),  or  else 
that  there  is  no  truth 
in  physiognomy.  But 
however  the  cat  and 
the  owl  may  deceive 
in  other  things,  they 
do  not  deceive  in  this 
—  and  just  that  beau- 
tiful love  of  children 
i  which  is  by  them  ex- 
pressed is  exhibited  by 
those  who  resemble 
them,  more  especially 
if  their  peculiarities  are  turned  into  the  highest  channel,  and 
subserve  the  noble  ends  which  Nature  designed. 


THE   RHINOCEROS. 


41 


CHAPTER   Y. 


Insensibility  is  Sensibility  in  the  lowest  degree.  Knock 
him  on  the  head,  pinch  his  tail,  beat  him  about  the  body,  and 
he  will  show  no  signs  of  being  hurt.  But  take  care  that  you 
do  not  serve  Sensibilit}r 
in  this  way,  which  is  the 
way  to  reduce  it  to  the 
condition  of  its  negative 
and  to  make  the  shell 
of  Insensibility  thicker 
than  at  first.  There  is 
such  a  tiling  as  treating 
a  rhinoceros  tenderly  : 
but  truth  demands  that 
we  should  show  what 
stuff  he  is  made  of.  If 
it  seems  to  thee,  gentle 
reader,  that  we  treat 
some  of  our  subjects  too 
plainly,  remember  that 
sensation  is  pleasant  to 
all  animals  ;  and  that  • 
the  degree  that  is  awa- 
kened by  a  touch  in 

some,  is  only  awakened  by  a  blow  in  those  that  are  protected 
by  a  shell. 

In  the  rhinoceros,  feeling  is  kept  under.  As  hardness  is  the 
summum  bonum  of  a  mere  animal  existence,  he  has  a  happy 
life  of  it.  He  may  be  considered  to  have  attained,  very  nearly, 
to  the  full  stature  of  a  perfect  beast !  But  before  we  can  come 
to  a  conclusion  in  regard  to  him,  we  must  comprehend  his 
two  essential  qualities,  insensibility  and  appetite. 


lL' 


LRATTVE    1'JIVSIOGXOMY. 


^> 


Insensibility,  it  should  be  observed,  has  a  partiality  for  the 
tail.  In  fact,  Nature  has  provided  this  posterior  appendage 
expressly  for  its  accommodation.  This  is  fully  illustrated  in 
the  alligator,  not  to  mention  the  similar  animals  that  are  now 
extinct.  Insensibility  is  nearly  synonymous  with  stupidity, 
and  oblivion  is  the  bliss  which  it  longs  for,  and  to  which  it 
finally  attains.    People  who  believe  in  annihilation  resemble 


THE    KIILN'OCEROS. 


43 


animals  with  very  long  tails,  with  the  exception  of  this  latter 
appurtenance.  Tails  are  peculiar  to  animals  —  are  worn  as 
badges  of  honor  in  the  order  of  beasthood.  They  are  in  many 
instances  more  or  less  scaly  when  the  body  is  not  at  all  so,  as 
we  see  in  the  mouse,  the  opossum,  and  the  beaver;  and  the 
habit  of  the  lemur,  of  gnawing  off  the  end  of  his  tail,  shows 
that  very  little  sensibility  resides  there.  It  shows  also  that 
there  is  an  antagonism  between  Appetite  and  Insensibility. 
But  the  latter  in  beasts  is  superior  to  the  former.  Insensibility 
lords  it  over  a  wide  domain.  When  he  would  show  his  power, 
he  makes  an  extensive  sweep,  as  may  be  observed  in  the  use 
which  animals  make  of  their  tails  when  they  are  enraged. 
He  holds  the  supremacy  over  every  passion,  and  "  blind  rage" 
is  no  more  blind  than  he. 


But,  like  all  other  sovereigns,  he  is  dependent  on  his  vas- 
sals. Appetite  is  his  principal  servant.  lie  is  supplied  with 
the  grossness  that  is  essential  to  his  existence  through  the  de- 
mands of  Appetite,  which  himself  is  obliged  to  supply.  Thus 
the  alligator  sweeps  his  prey  into  his  mouth  with  his  tail ;  and 
the  brandishing  of  the  tails  of  lions,  tigers,  &c,  is  from  the 
same  cause.     It  is  the  mighty  lord  Insensibility  that  sways 


H 


COMPARATIVE    III  YSIOGXOMY. 


■e  of  power  —  tnrning  living  bodies  into  dead  carcas- 
Lonrishing  It  about  the  body  to  keep  his  vassals  in  fear, 
and  extending  it  over  the  head  to  keep  bis  principal  servant 
in  Bubjection. 

Thus  much  of  Insensibility.  We  come  now  to  speak  of  Ap- 
petite. If  resides  as  far  as  possible  from  its  lord  and  master, 
for  it  is  the  very  opposite.  Of  course,  then,  it  occupies  the 
head,  and  has  the  same  relation  to  the  anterior  extremities 


that  the  other  has  to  the  posterior.  Appetite  is  essential  at- 
tractiveness, drawing  everything  into  relation  and  conjunction 
with  Sensibility.  It  refines  and  softens  the  skin  as  much  as 
Insensibility  hardens  it,  and  does  always  the  very  reverse  of 
what  its  master  does.  It  begets  Sensibility,  which  feels  in- 
tensely, suffers  pain,  and  is  carried  to  the  degree  of  torment. 
AYho,  if  he  has  not  felt  it,  has  not  heard,  of  the  feeling  of 
hunger  and  of  tormenting  thirst?  Appetite,  therefore,  is  the 
very  opposite  of  Insensibility,  and,  to  indicate  this,  is  assigned 
to  an  opposite  position  in  the  body. 

When  Appetite  grows  strong,  it  dispenses  with  Insensibility 
altogether.  It  makes  use  of  teeth,  tongue,  claws,  &c,  to  sur- 
prise its  food,  and  tosses  up  its  head  in  perfect  contempt  of 
the  pretensions  of  its  former  lord.     It  grows  bold,  saucy,  and 


Tin:   RHINOCEROS. 


45 


independent,  and  says  of  the  tail,  that  it  is  "no  great  shakes, 
after  all!"  The  consequence  of  this  is,  that  it  turns  out  as 
Appetite  says:  Insensibility  is  obliged  to  withdraw  from  the 
tail  into  the  body,  that  he  may  receive  a  portion  of  the  nour- 
ishment that  Appetite  would  otherwise  appropriate  entirely  to 
its  own  use.  He  reasons,  with  regard  to  the  state  of  the  case, 
by  the  method  called  a  posteriori.  He  considers  himself  the 
rightful  sovereign ;  and  though  he  does  what  he  can  to  con- 
ciliate Appetite,  he  has  no  notion  of  consenting  to  a  rebellion. 


He  makes  a  virtue  of  necessity,  and  becomes  on  familiar  terms 
with  the  servants  that  he  was  formerly  in  the  habit  of  chas- 
tising. He  lets  down  his  dignity  wonderfully  — deserts  the 
tail,  which,  "  like  a  pile  without  inhabitant,  to  ruin  runs,"  and 
takes  up  his  residence  in  the  back. 

But  the  less  of  a  gentleman  he  becomes,  the  more  selfish  is 


4G  il'AKATIVi;    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

lie.  lie  converts  the  body  into  a  fortification;  he  builds  on 
a  larger  BCale,  and  in  a  style  of  greater  magnificence,  than 
before  —  a  sure  index  of  his  waning  fortunes.  He  is  swayed 
by  tear,  and  what  he  does  is  an  indication  of  it;  he  substitutes 
grasping  cupidity  for  the  title  of  sovereign  in  just  the  degree 
that  his  sceptre  is  in  danger  of  being  wrested  from  him;  he 
part-  witli  his  courage  and  magnanimity  as  a  prince  with  his 
Bceptre  and  his  crown.  Fear  draws  him  into  close  commu- 
nion with  Appetite,  and  enlarges  headquarters  for  Lis  recep- 
tion. Finally,  he  becomes  the  very  slave  of  Appetite,  and 
takes  up  his  residence  in  the  head,  which  is  gradually  enlarged 
for  his  accommodation.  When  this  is  the  case,  we  may  as- 
certain it  by  the  fact  that  there  is  no  tail  left.  He  may  be 
called,  first  and  last,  Endurance,  because,  as  he  suffers  noth- 
ing, he  suffers  anything  you  plea-.-.  He  is  the  common 
ground  for  all  sorts  of  impressions  :  he  is  at  first  the  pave- 
ment, then  the  stepping-stone,  then  the  marble  hall  to  the 
palace  of  the  soul ;  and  finally  he  is  the  luxurious  carpet,  upon 
which,  though  there  is  less  clanger,  men  tread  more  softly 
than  on  stones.  What  we  have  described  is  Endurance,  indi- 
cated  by  the  brain  and  nerves  of  sensation,  upon  some  of 
which  impressions  are  made  more  lightly-  than  on  others. 

"We  are  now  prepared  to  speak  more  particularly  of  the 
rhinoceros.  Insensibility  has  lost  all  dignity  in  him.  You 
see  by  his  looks  that  he  is  supremely  selfish,  and  that  Insen- 
sibility in  him  would  sacrifice  pride  rather  than  the  services 
of  Appetite.  By  remaining  in  the  tail  when  the  servant  was 
likely  to  become  independent  of  his  master,  the  latter  would 
vacate  entirely,  and  the  whole  animal  economy  would  be  de- 
stroyed. Here  master  and  servant  dwell  peaceably  together, 
in  the  back  and  head,  surrounded  by  the  tokens  of  unbounded 
prosperity;  while  the  tail  hangs  idly,  having  been  resigned 
for  things  more  substantial  and  endurinor. 

The  condition  of  the  rhinoceros,  for  a  beast,  is  truly  a  happy 
one.  The  means  of  subsistence  are  before  him,  but  never  a 
great  way  off  Not  so  with  those  animals  that  have  a  pre- 
dominance of  insensibility  in  the  tail,  as  the  alligator,  or  that 
have  a  predominance  of  laziness,  like  the  bear.     "Proud  and 


THE   RHINOCEROS.  47 

lazy"  is  an  epithet  that  can  not  be  applied  to  the  rhinoceros. 
Insensibility  keeps  such  good  pace  with  Appetite,  that  his 
food  is  always  under  his  nose.     He  is  ever  reaching  forth  for 
the  supreme  good  —  the  gratification  of  Appetite,  and  the  clo- 
sing up  of  the  avenues  of  Sensation.     His  belly  is  therefore 
of  the  largest  dimensions,  and  is  fortified  around  with  shields 
and  bucklers,  so  that  the  vulnerable  part  is  long  in  being  dis- 
covered.    He  keeps  his  servant  busily  at  work  in  closing  the 
avenues  outside  and  in.     As  he  has  so  much  selfishness,  it  is 
appropriate  that  he  should  be  formed  specially  for  self-defence. 
The  sign  of  this  is  the  most  prominent  feature  in  his  counte- 
nance.    As  Self-Defence  follows  Attack,  he  must  invariably, 
in  every  controversy,  have  the  last  word.     It  is  impossible  to 
find  anything  new  about  him,  for  he  is  fortified  against  en- 
croachment, and  is  encased  in  the  old.     He  has  but  one  logic 
for  all  who  dare  to  assault  him,  and  his  last  word  is  always 
the  same.     He  assures  you  that  "  facts  are  stubborn  things," 
and  the  toughness  of  his  hide  inclines  him  to  deal  in  these, 
and  makes  it  impossible  that  any  other  should  have  an  im- 
pression upon  him.     He  puts  effects  for  causes,  and  in  going 
forward  supposes  that  he  is  going  backward ;  and  this  he 
dignifies  with  the  name  of  reasoning!     But  this  is  more  the 
case  with  those  who  resemble  alligators  —  where  Insensibility 
attaches  greater  dignity  to  the  tail  —  than  in  him.     What  you 
attack  in  the  rhinoceros  is  "cut  and  dried."     It  has  stood  the 
test  of  time  and  of  innumerable  assaults,  and  why  should  he 
change  it?     He  knows  how  to  give  you  mathematical  demon- 
strations, for  it  is  his  business  to  fortify  himself.     This  is  his 
fort,  and  he  applies  it  to  the  erection  of  defences  against  all 
who  war  with  him,  whether  the  weapons  be  spiritual  or  car- 
nal.    It  is  against  the  possibility  of  an  attack  that  he  fortifies 
himself,  and  he  is  therefore  impregnable.     He  is  prejudiced  : 
what  can  you  do  with  him  ?     His  motto  is,  "  In  peace  prepare 
for  war,  that  no  enemy  may  be  tempted  by  your  weakness  to 
pounce  upon  you!"     This  is  the  dictate  of  fear,  and  also  of 
Insensibility,  when  there  is  no  danger  to  be  apprehended. 
But  when  it  shows  no  fear  of  reason,  and  takes  reason  for  its 
counsellor,  it  serves  a  noble  use. 


•IS 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


The  man  who  resembles  the  rhinoceros  is  either  one  of  the 
wisest  or  the  most  senseless  of  individuals.  Look  at  that  counte- 
nance, and  say  if  it  is  not  destitute  of  Sen- 
sibility. Was  there  ever  anything  so  stu- 
pid ?  You  may  anticipate  the  time  when, 
like  the  hog,  he  will  testify  his  content- 


ment with  a  grunt.  But  let  us  turn  from  this  example  of  the 
brute  creation  to  another  that  is  very  like  him,  and  yet  in  a 
certain  sense  the  very  opposite. 


THE    ELEPHANT. 


49 


CHAPTER   VI. 


What  executioner  is  this,  come  to  wield  his  monstrous  lash, 
more  effective  than  the  club  of  Hercules?     He  is  inclined  to 

try  the  stability  of  those 
mathematical  certainties 
which  the  rhinoceros 
puts  his  trust  in  —  to  feel 
the  ground  upon  which 
he  treads,  and  to  make 
impressions  on  defences 
that  bid  defiance  to  at- 
tack. Everything  about 
him  is  formed  to  be  the 
counterpart  of  that  which 
is  discovered  in  the  rhi- 
noceros. That  trunk  of  his,  which  is  the  only  thing  of  the 
kind  in  existence,  is  curiously  and  wonderfully  made.  It  is 
a  maul  unparalleled, 
and  has  at  its  end  an 
instrument  for  pinch- 
ing, so  that  it  is  suita- 
ble to  the  execution  of 
every  sentence.  He 
punishes  both  great 
and  minor  offences, 
with  an  exactness  of 
justice  that  is  truly 
ad  m  i  r abl  e .  As  h  e  is 
physically  suited  to 
carry  it  into  execu- 
tion, so  his  belief  is  — 


COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 


»« That  when  a  man  is  past  his  sense, 
The  method  to  reduce  him  thence 
[g  twinging  by  the  ears  and  nose, 
Or  laying  on  of  heavy  blows." 

He  has  the  feeling  that  lie  is  formed  to  be  an  executioner. 
When  the  sentence  lias  gone  forth,  it  is  never  revoked.  The 
punishment  must  come  if  ever  the  opportunity  offers;  his 
duty  must  be  discharged.  In  the  East,  he  is  chosen  to  exe- 
cute the  laws.  There  is  no  variety  of  execution  short  of  in- 
fernal that  he  is  not  prepared  to  inflict.     The  man  who  is  so 

wanting  in  Sensibili- 
ty as  to  play  a  hoax 
upon  the  elephant, 
will  have  it  dinged 
into  him  by  the  ele- 
phant's trunk  if  ever 
he  comes  within  the 
reach  of  that  flexible 
instrument.  By  "the 
elephant,"  be  it  un- 
derstood, we  mean 
the  man  who  resem- 
bles the  elephant,and 
by  "  the  rhinoceros"  the  man  who  resembles  the  rhinoceros. 

The  animal  we  are  now  speaking  of  may  be  styled  the  "  Ex- 
ecutive." He  is  the  very 
embodiment  of  "  physical 
force."  As  the  rhinoceros 
represents  Endurance,  so 
does  the  elephant  represent 
Effectiveness.  Like  an  im- 
mense water-wheel,  he  rolls, 
and  tumbles,  and  pours  the 
water  over  him ;  and  the  an- 
imu8  which  he  applies,  or 
the  motive-power,  is  like  wa- 
ter tumbling  over  a  precipice,  to  which  his  forehead  and  de- 
scending trunk  bear  a  close  resemblance. 


His  countenance 


THE   ELEPHANT. 


51 


is  all  dripping,  and  seems  to  invite  a  torrent  of  water  to  be 
poured  over  it.  His  whole  body  is  like  a  sea,  with  its  ebb 
and  flow,  and  moving  forward  with  a  slow  current  to  its  out- 
let, where  the  mighty  force  of  descent  invites  to  the  demon- 
stration of  the  principle  that  "knowledge  is  power."  He  is 
the  wisest  of  the  brute  creation,  for  physical  force  should  be 
governed  by  intellectual,  to  which  it  corresponds.  He  rep- 
resents all  things  mighty  —  the  water-power,  the  ponderous 
wheel,  and  the  whole  machinery  through  which  power  over- 
comes a  resistance  equal  to  itself  in  the  production  of  the 
most  wonderful  results. 

As  there  is  in  the  rhinoceros  that  wmich  involves  the  prin- 
ciples of  mathematics,  so  there  is  in  the  elephant  that  which 
involves  the  principles  of  mechanics  ;  and  as  Nature  illus- 
trates these  principles  in  the  animal  economy  of  both,  so  Art, 
in  those  who  resemble  the  rhinoceros  and  the  elephant,  ap- 
plies them  to  the  demonstration  of  the  laws  which  govern  the 
material  creation,  and  to  the  production  of  machinery.  As- 
tronomy is  the  result  of  the  one,  and  wheels  and  their  compli- 
cated revolutions  are  the  result  of  the  other.  The  Effective- 
ness that  resides  in  the  human  frame  is  still  greater  in  the 
instrument  that  man  produces.  There  is  a  resemblance  to 
the  elephant,  not  only  in  those  who  make  an  extensive  appli- 
cation of  machinery,  but  in  those  who  invent  it. 

The  inferior  class  who 
bear  this  resemblance, 
are  suited  physically  to 
perform  the  function  of 
executioners,  and  to  be 
the  instruments  of  pow- 
er. The  stoutest  labor- 
ers—  in  size,  form,  mo- 
tions, and  expressions 
of  the  countenance  — 
resemble  the  elephant. 
This  is  so  with  hercule- 
an negroes  particularly, 
and  thev  have  been  re- 


jb&SBS* 


%\ 


52 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


girded  as  the  executors  and  as  the  labor-saving  machinery 
of  the  world  from  time  immemorial.  This  is  doubtless  in 
BOme  di  gree  B  perversion  of  the  grand  principle  which  they 
illustrate,  but  it  shows  an  instinctive  recognition  of  this  resem- 
blance, not  only  in  those  who  make  a  slave  of  the  negro,  but 
in  the  negro  himself.  There  is  something  peculiarly  noble, 
dutiful,  and  trustworthy,  in  the  features  of  the  "black  fellow" 
wh«>  bears  this  resemblance  —  rude  wdien  caught,  and  yet 
beautiful  from  his  adaptation  to  his  various  uses. 


The  elephant  exhibits  this  beauty  of  adaptation  the  very 
clay  that  he  is  captured;  he  takes  to  service  almost  imme 
diately,  which  can  be  said  of  no  other  animal.  His  suscepti- 
bility of  improvement  is  uncommonly  great.  This  is  true  of 
the  African,  and  hence  he  is  capable  of  attaining  to  the  high- 
est condition  morally  and  intellectually,  the  correspondent  of 
which  is  the  lowest  physical  condition  when  the  former  and 
the  latter  are  not  united.  But  his  development  is  exceed- 
ingly slow,  as  is  also  that  of  the  elephant. 

The  negro  presented  in  the  first  of  these  chapters  is  a  mere 
babe.  Precocity  in  the  human  family,  although  highly  flat- 
tered, is  less  to  be  desired  than  the  tardy  development  of  the 
negro.     Every  one  may  judge  what  the  difference  will  be  in 


THE   ELEPHANT. 


53 


the  final  result.     Mrs.  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  has  some  fine 
remarks  on  this  subject,  in  her  popular  work  entitled  "  Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin,  or  Life  among  the  Lowly,"  which  it  would  be 
superfluous  to  quote,  since  it  must 
be  taken  for  granted  that  every- 
body has  read  them.   The  features 
which  resemble  the  elephant  are 
characteristic  of  childhood,  as  in 
this  and  the  preceding  examples. 


There  is  also  characteristic  child- 
hood in  a  child  like  this,  who  is 
exceedingly  fond  of  a  ride  on  the 
elephant's  back,  and  whose  fea- 
tures are  seen  to  bear  a  striking 
resemblance  to  the  profile  of  that 
animal.    It  must  be  confessed,  too, 

that  he  has  reason  to  be  grateful  for  affection  on  the  part  of 
his  bearer,  for  they  are  congenial  spirits.  In  the  negro-looking 
female  who  stands  above,  we  can  hardly  fail  to  see  that  the 
features  are  elephantine,  and  to  ascribe  to  her  all  the  docility, 
faithfulness,  caution,  substitution,  and  love  of  children,  that 
are  characteristic  of  the  elephant. 

The  African  may  be  called  deformed  and  monstrous,  like 
the  elephant ;  but  there  is  an  old  proverb  which  says,  "  Home- 


54  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

ly  in  the  cradle,  handsome  in  the  saddle."  Besides  this,  the 
highest  beauty  is  the  result  of  the  highest  use,  and  is  founded 
on  the  Lowest.  In  his  adaptation  to  the  lowest,  which  is  that 
of  B  dutiful  child,  the  African  is  still  handsome: — 

"his  mother's  eye, 


That  looks  upon  him  from  his  parent  sky, 
Sees  in  his  flexile  limbs  untutored  grace, 
Po\Ver  in  his  forehead,  beauty  in  his  face." 

This  beauty  is  latent  in  him,  and  will  be  developed.  It  should 
be  observed,  however,  that  certain  negro  races  do  not  resem- 
ble elephants,  and  these  in  market  value  are  good  for  nothing 
except  to  play  the  banjo,  and  exhibit  white  collars  and  pocket 
handkerchiefs :  but  we  shall  speak  of  these  in  another  chap- 
ter. 


THE    OSTRICH.  55 


CHAPTER   VII. 

What  a  man  loves,  he  generally  is :  hence  he  is  generally 
himself,  for  it  is  himself  that  he  loves.  Self-love  is  the  most 
natural  solution  of  the  fact  that  the  animal  a  man  most  likes 
he  most  resembles.  The  man  who  resembles  the  ostrich  has 
more  of  the  spirit  which  says,  "I'm  myself,"  than  the  gener- 
ality of  mankind.  It  is  the  staring,  wondering  owl  that  says, 
"Who?  who?"  and  provokes  the  response  just  alluded  to. 
In  children,  who  are  more  spontaneous  than  grown  people, 
question  and  answer  of  this  sort  are  expressed  literally.  The 
one  that  says,  "  I  'm  myself,"  is  a  young  ostrich,  and  prom- 
ises to  resemble  that  bird  more  and  more.  There  is  pro- 
gressively developed  in  him  a  spirit  of  independence  that  is 
truly  noble.  He  throws  off  infantile  weakness  rapidly,  and 
relieves  his  parents  of  the  responsibility  of  taking  care  of  him. 
This  is  one  of  the  characteristic  things  in  which  he  resembles 
the  ostrich.  His  appetite  for  knowledge,  his  power  of  mas- 
tering stubborn  truths  and  of  appropriating  the  results  to  the 
development  of  his  own  mind,  and  the  possession  thereby  of 
an  uncommon  degree  of  strength  and  maturity,  correspond  to 
the  appetite,  powerful  digestion,  and  wonderful  hardiness  and 
strength  of  the  desert-bird.  He  has  an  abundance  of  self- 
love  ;  but  his  love  of  liberty,  in  raising  him  above  dependence, 
elevates  him  above  the  lower  gratifications  of  selfishness,  and 
he  exhibits  a  high-mindedness  that  is  truly  admirable. 

Be  it  observed,  however,  that  the  resemblance  to  the  ostrich 
may  be  too  literal.  In  that  case  the  individual  is  weak-minded, 
foolish,  self-conceited,  light-headed,  and  likes  to  be  odd,  at 
the  same  time  that  he  "  asks  no  odds"  of  any  one,  prides  him- 
self upon  his  originality  (which  is  mere  oddity),  and  reasons 
in  a  circle  from  one  end  of  a  single  idea  to  the  other,  as  the 


56 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


ostrich  runs  when  pursued  by  a  horse.     He  is  a  sort  of  math- 
ematical reasoner,  considering  that  if  by  any  means  he  can 

return  "  to  the  place  of  beginning," 
the  thing  is  "proved."  In  other 
words,  he  is  a  sort  of  transcendental 
rhinoceros,  for   whoever   resembles 


the  one  animal  has  a  certain  resemblance  to  the  other.  It 
may  be  mentioned  at  the  same  time  that  the  relationship  be- 
tween the  lion  and  the  eagle,  and  the  cat  and  the  owl,  causes 
that  the  person  who  resembles  the  beast  should  resemble  also 


the  bird,  and  vice  versa. 


But  the  ostrich,  and  the  man  who  resembles  him  too  liter- 
ally?—  A  horse,  unaided  by  the  cunning  and  prudence  of  the 
rider,  can  no  more  overtake  the  one,  than  reason  can  overtake 
the  other.  The  sandy  desert  which  you  will  have  to  traverse, 
if  you  follow  in  his  footsteps,  will  not  furnish  you  with  a  single 


THE    OSTRICH. 


57 


oasis  to  gladden  the  eye  or  to  refresh  the  exhausted  spirits. 
Water  there  is  none,  but  only  a  vast  sea  of  sand  ;  and  instead 
of  genial  warmth,  there  is  burning  heat,  that  withers  every 
verdant  thing,  and  destroys  the  life.  If  this  strange  bird  can 
live  there,  others  can  not,  and  it  is  because  he  is  adapted  to  a 
situation  that  to  others  would  be  a  "  place  of  torment." 

Most  persons  can  tell  you  without  much  hesitation  what 
animal  they  are  most  fond  of,  but  this  is  not  so  with  the  person 
who  resembles  the  ostrich.     He  never  saw  the  animal  that 


he  had  any  particular  liking  for ; 
and  the  truth  is,  he  has  no  par- 
ticular liking  for  any.  The  rea- 
son is,  he  has  never  had  the  opportunity  of  making  a  pet  of 
the  animal  he  most  resembles.  He  is  minus  also  the  love  of 
children  to  the  degree  that  he  has  no  disposition  to  pet  and 
fondle  them.  As  he  has  no  idea  of  leaning  upon  parents  and 
being  a  burden  to  them,  so  he  expects  that  children  will  take 
care  of  themselves,  and  relieves  himself  of  responsibility  con- 
cerning his  own.  As  he  has  no  opportunity  to  love  the  ani- 
mal he  is  like,  he  loves  it  in  himself,  and  the  definition  of 
this  is  — 

"he  loves  himself  so  much, 


He  owes  all  others  else  a  grutch !" 

On  the  contrary,  the  person  who  is  like  a  horse,  a  cow,  a  cat, 
or  a  dog,  or  any  familiar  animal,  is  fond  of  creatures  of  all 
sorts.  The  gratification  of  a  predominant  affection  opens  a 
channel  for  the  exercise  of  other  affections  of  the  same  nature. 
Thus  it  is  necessaiy  that  conjugal  love  should  be  awakened, 
in  order  that  the  domestic  and  social  affections  should  be  fully 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

developed;  and  that  a  man  should  love  the  animal  he  most 
resembles,  in  order  that  he  may  exercise  love  and  compassion 
toward  animals  in  general.  The  fondness  for  animals,  like 
thai  for  human  beings,  is  founded  upon  a  partiality  for  one. 
As  the  love  <>t'God  is  the  love  of  one,  the  love  of  mankind  is 
founded  upon  that. 

The  animal  nature  of  which  the  ostrich  is  an  embodiment 
fains  the  groundwork  of  a  character  as  exalted  as  the  founda- 
tion is  low,  and  as  chaste  and  beautiful  as  the  basis  is  coarse 
and  strung.  In  nature  and  art  the  barren  rudeness  and  ugli- 
ness of  the  foundation  are  in  proportion  to  the  perfection  of  the 
design.  The  most  beautiful  temple  is  reared  upon  the  un- 
sightliest  and  most  rugged  rock.  The  hardest  material  is 
formed  for  the  most  exquisite  finish.  Its  roughness  and  de- 
formity give  place  to  symmetry  and  proportion ;  its  rigidity 
is  changed  to  the  appearance  of  softness.  The  most  solid 
substance  becomes  spiritual,  and  thereby  yielding  ;  the  shape- 
less mass  acquires  the  highest  degree  of  individuality;  it  be- 
comes ethereal  by  the  flow  of  life  and  beauty  that  surrounds 
it;  it  is  an  embodiment  of  the  sublimest  conception — an  im- 
age of  the  Divine. 

The  stubborn  hardness  of  the  substances  which  the  ostrich 
takes  into  his  stomach,  and  the  more  obstinate  stomach  that 
resists  and  overcomes  them,  correspond  to  facts  the  most  diffi- 
cult of  solution,  and  to  a  mind  capable  of  grasping  and  resolv- 
ing them.  The  barren  sand  traversed  by  the  ostrich,  and  the 
vain  effort  at  progress  (the  running  around  and  returning  to 
the  same  place,  which  makes  it  impossible  ever  to  escape, 
either  from  t}ie  desert  or  the  enemy  that  pursues  him),  corre- 
spond to  universal  truths  which  in  the  process  of  reason  are 
never  to  be  lost  sight  of,  and  to  the  true  order  of  reasoning, 
which,  as  it  follows  Nature,  is  in  a  circle  —  but  in  a  circle 
that  is  progressive,  being  that  of  u  end,  cause,  and  effect." 
"We  see,  therefore,  what  connection  there  is  between  folly  and 
wisdom,  silliness  and  simplicity,  and  consequently  what  con- 
nection there  is  between  pride  and  selfishness  on  the  one  hand 
and  respectability  and  usefulness  on  the  other.  The  indepen- 
dence of  care  and  protection,  and  the  consequent  deficiency 


THE    OSTRICH. 


59 


of  these  in  the  ostrich,  correspond  to  the  independence  which 
seeks  to  increase  itself  by  establishing  a  commerce  of  freedom, 
and  to  the  consequent  kind 


ness  and  protection  which 
relieve  the  dependence  of 
others,  and  enable  them  to 
confer  independence  in  their 


turn.  The  self-sufficiency  or  proud  independence  of  the  bird 
corresponds  to  the  humble  Sufficiency  which  acknowledges 
Mutual  Dependence  for  its  father.  From  this  action  of  Inde- 
pendence proceed  the  most  admirable  relations  of  parents  and 
children,  and  of  society  at  large.  The  most  perfect  order  and 
harmony  are  the  result  of  the  rudimentary  traits  which  con- 
stitute a  resemblance  to  the  ostrich,  or  of  the  highest  degree 
of  improvement  which  these  qualities  are  capable  of.  The 
Swedes,  as  a  nation,  bear  a  resemblance  to  the  ostrich,  as  a 
comparison  of  faces  and  of  the  characteristics  mentioned  above 
will  show. 


CO  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


CIIAPTEE   VIII. 

The  distinction  between  matter  and  space  will  explain  the 
difference  between  beasts  and  birds.     It  would  seem  at  first 
glance  as  if  the  elephant  and  the  stork  were  altogether  dis- 
similar, but  the  difference  between  them  is 
as  the  difference  between  size  and  distance. 
In  everything  relating  to  measurement,  the 
stork  is  a  model  of  perfection.     There  is  no 
part  of  his  body  in  which  length  is  disre- 
garded ;  consequently  his  proportions  are 
^C^,-  faultless.     His  appearance  may  remind  us 

of  something  awkward  and  ungainly,  but  it 
is  not  in  him.  His  gait  is  easy  and  graceful,  and  it  is  asso- 
ciation of  ideas  that  reminds  us  of  the  opposite.  In  our  dis- 
position to  find  in  him  something  to  laugh  at,  is  illustrated 
the  saying  that  "  there  is  but  one  step  from  the  sublime  to 
the  ridiculous."  His  height  is  contrasted  with  the  low,  and 
instantly  we  think  of  littleness  and  insignificance  being  ele- 
vated upon  stilts,  for  contrast  is  the  very  essence  of  the  ab- 
surd. If  we  observe  the  length  of  his  bill,  the  contemptible 
idea  of  a  noddle  which  is  suggested  by  the  height  to  which 
his  extremities  elevate  him  will  pass  over  to  the  flamingo,  the 
crane,  the  ostrich,  and  birds  of  that  ilk,  whose  heads  are  little 
in  proportion  to  their  height.  A  head  whose  lightness  elevates 
it  among  the  clouds  is  ridiculous  in  the  extreme. 

The  class  of  persons  who,  on  account  of  the  length  of  their 
limbs,  are  compared  to  cranes,  are  many  of  them  exceedingly 
graceful,  and  these  resemble  storks ;  while  the  remainder  have 
greater  length  in  particular  portions  of  their  limbs  than  they 
can  well  dispose  of.  Their  not  knowing  what  to  do  with  their 
hands  and  feet  is  connected  with  a  shortness  of  nose,  chin,  or 


THE   STORK. 


61 


other  features  of  the  countenance.  Proportions  being  depen- 
dent upon  length  are  looked  for  in  connection  with  it,  and  by 
length  want  of  proportion  is  rendered  conspicuous.  The  man 
who  resembles  the  stork  is  suspected  of  being  awkward  and 


ungainly  when  he  is  not  so;  and  if  the  suspicion  prove  true, 
even  in  the  least  degree,  he  is  poked  fun  at.  For  the  reason 
that  there  is  but  one  step  from  the  sublime  to  the  ridiculous, 
it  is  a  dangerous  step  for  a  man  to  grow  tall,  particularly  if  it 
be  a  hasty  one,  as  is  frequently  the  case  between  the  ages  of 
fifteen  and  twenty.  For  the  same  reason  it  is  dangerous  to 
aspire  to  an  elevation  in  rank.  A  high  position  is  one  which 
commands  criticism  quite  as  much  as  respect;  and  perfect 
consistency,  or  truth,  is  looked  for  in  this  case  as  perfect  pro- 
portion is  looked  for  in  the  other.  The  man  whom  Nature 
makes  tall,  and  at  the  same  time  harmonious,  has  nothing  to 
fear.  Like  the  stork,  he  will  outlive  ridicule.  He  is  not  born 
to  be  idle— he  must  vindicate  himself— and  should  be  reck- 
oned among  those  things  that  are  "  comely  in  going."  His 
talent  is  discovery,  not  invention  — observation,  not  theory. 
In  this  consists  the  principal  difference  between  him  and  the 


62  COMPARATIVE    mYSIOGNOMY. 

person  who  resembles  the  ostrich :  the  one  is  prone  to  be  odd 
and  ridiculous,  the  other  the  reverse : — 

"  That  lifrs  a  mortal  to  the  skies, 
This  calls  an  angel  down." 

Invention  proceeds  in  its  development  from  the  earth  to  the 
heavens ;  Discovery  from  the  heavens  to  the  earth.  The  for- 
mer, with  its  head  among  the  clouds,  is  silly  and  self-conceited, 
or  is  liable  to  become  so,  like  the  ostrich ;  the  latter,  with  its 
high  thoughts  directed  to  the  earth,  is  distrustful  of  appear- 
ances, like  the  stork  : — 

"Who  bade  the  stork,  Columbus-like,  explore, 
Realms  not  his  own,  and  seas  unknown  before  ?" 

If  he  traversed  in  a  circle  the  little  spot  where  he  was  born, 
he  would  find  out  nothing.     As  he  is  a  discoverer,  it  is  suita- 


ble that  he  should  be  high,  where  he  can  look  down  upon 
those  whom  he  enlightens,  and  enlighten  every  object  that  he 
sees.  It  is  suitable  that  he  should  be  high,  for  his  matchless 
proportions  defy  criticism ;  and  however  much  we  may  be 
disposed  to  ridicule  him  in  his  standing  position,  he  inspires 
a  sense  of  sublimity  when  we  see  him  stretched  out  in  his 
aerial  voyage. 


THE    STORK. 


As  length  is  a  predominant  thing  in  the  stork,  he  walks 
with  measured  tread.  So  does  the  person  who  resembles 
him.  His  life  is  portioned  out  to  various  pursuits,  eaeh  in  its 
season,  and  he  keeps  pace  and 
time  with  others,  and  sets  them 
an  example  of  regularity.  The 
adjutant  is  well  named,  so  far  as 
marching,  or  measuring  time  and  M  , 

distance  by  paces,  can  make  a  "V  (/ 


«^H^ 


soldier  of  him.  But  it  should  be  remarked  that  tall  persons, 
who  resemble  storks,  adjutants,  herons,  and  the  like,  are  defi- 
cient in  courage.  This  essential  of  a  soldier  generally  falls  to 
the  lot  of  short  people,  and  to  short,  thick-set  animals,  like  the 
bull-dog.  The  combination  of  caution,  which  is  characteristic 
of  the  long,  with  courage,  which  is  characteristic  of  the  short, 
is  exhibited  in  the  military  character.  The  courage  of  the 
lion,  as  the  lion  should  be,  is  mated  with  the  military  instinct 
and  genius  of  the  stork,  and  the  animal  which  embodies  these 
two  in  perfect  proportion  is  the  horse. 

Want  of  courage,  in  man  or  animal,  induces  consumption; 
and  caution,  being  changed  to  fear,  increases  it.  The  adju- 
tant is  a  giant-bird,  with  a  formidable  jaw,  but  he  is  a  shame- 
ful coward.  If  the  increase  of  flesh  and  fat  is  not  in  propor- 
tion to  the  food  taken  into  the  stomach,  the  food  is  consumed : 


64  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

it  is  wasted,  and  this  waste  indicates  one  degree  of  cowardice, 
and  the  wasting  of  the  body  another.  It  is  the  destiny  of  the 
stork,  the  flamingo,  and  the  like,  and  of  those  who  resemble 
them,  to  grow  long  and  spindling,  and  consumption  is  a  means 
to  that  end,  whether  it  be  a  perversion  or  not. '  Stout-hearted 
people  are  stout  built,  and  hearty  appetite  and  hearty  food 
promote  their  stoutness.  But  the  person  who  depends  upon 
his  food  and  drink  to  give  him  courage,  or  upon  any  kind  of 
narcotic  or  stimulant  to  supply  his  mental  deficiencies,  be- 
comes intemperate,  and  wastes  in  body  and  mind  as  he  does 
in  money  and  provisions.  As  there  is  something  natural  in 
this  (the  herons  and  cranes  setting  them  the  example),  they 
spin  out  quite  a  life  of  it,  after  all ! 


THE   MOUSE.  65 


CHAPTER   IX. 

Whoever  has  seen  the  "Aztec  children,"  whatever  may 
have  been  his  speculations  respecting  them,  will  jump  at  the 
idea  of  their  resemblance  to  mice.  The  feeling  they  awaken 
is  a  compound  of  repugnance,  playfulness,  curiosity,  and  fond- 
ness. But  however  much,  gentle  reader,  you  may  feel  a  dis- 
inclination to  touch  them,  you  will  be  ready  to  spring  upon 
them  as  the  embodiments  of  a  truth,  and  clasp  them  to  your 
hearts.  Besides,  if  you  are  capable  of  seeing  beauty  in  a 
mouse,  with  his  peculiar  habits,  his  confidence,  his  distrust, 
his  audacity,  his  silken  hair,  his  delicate  structure,  his  active 
temperament,  His  tiny  limbs,  his  round  chest,  his  little  big 
head,  his  sparkling  black  eyes,  his  disproportioned  chops,  in 
which  mischief  is  concealed  under  gravity  —  if  you  are  capa- 
ble of  sympathizing  in  his  misfortunes,  of  desiring  to  protect 
him,  or  of  a  temptation  to  enlarge  him  when  he  has  unluckily 
fallen  into  a  trap  —  then  you  are  capable  of  seeing  beauty  in 
the  Aztec  children,  and  of  feeling  an  affection  for  them.  You 
will  have  no  disposition  to  call  them  fools  :  they  are  noodles. 

Their  resemblance  to  mice  is  in  everything  they  do,  and  in 
every  part  from  top  to  toe,  but  most  in  the  countenance,  and 
in  those  things  which  it  is  impossible  for  the  artist  to  portray. 
The  only  correct  impression  that  can  be  made  upon  them  is 
upon  the  retina :  a  second-hand  solar  impression,  like  the  da- 
guerreotype, will  never  do.  In  the  proportions  of  the  jaws, 
in  the  peculiar  form  and  expression  of  the  mouth,  in  that  nose, 
so  full  of  fire,  energy,  and  comicality,  and  in  a  certain  some- 
thing diffused  over  all  so  like  what  we  discover- in  the  mouse, 
we  can  not  fail  to  see  a  wonderful  relation  between  the  two. 
From  such  lips  as  those  you  argue  a  pair  of  incisors  similar  to 
those  of  a  mouse ;  and  the  truth  is,  the  boy,  who  has  his  second 

5 


OG 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


set,  has  "but  one  pair  of  cutting-teeth  in  each  jaw.    To  the 
exercise  of  gnawing  we  should  imagine  that  nothing  could  be 

better  suited  than  the  cracker  which 
constitutes  their  principal  food.  They 
are  wonderfully  mischievous  but  not 


wilfully  or  maliciously  so.  The  boy 
is  fond  of  teasing  his  sister,  of  inter- 
meddling, of  having  "  a  finger  in  the 
pie,"  but  it  is  all  for  the  sake  of  fun 
and  frolic,  the  gratification  of  curi- 
osity, the  largest  liberty,  and  the  in- 
dulgence of  the  senses. 

You  must  not  look  in  their  coun- 
tenances for  the  expression  of  delight 
so  much  as  in  their  feet :  their  nether 
extremities  are  curiosities  equal  to 
those  of  the  mouse,  and  the  appearance  and  feeling  of  then- 
hands  confirm  the  resemblance.    There  is  no  warmth  m  them 
-they  are  like  dead  things;  and  though  there  is  a  ce  tarn 
glow  in  the  countenance  of  the  girl,  it  is  too  literally  ruby   o 
answer  the  expectation  arising  from  the  associate  of     ruby 
lips  "     If  you  would  understand  the  strange  sensation  that  is 
produced  by  contact,  you  can  experience  it  by  fassmg -the hps 
of  a  marble  statue.     Of  this  we  are  assured  on  good  an  ho  ity 
for  it  is  no  unusual  thing  for  matron  y  lad.es  toma fes t  dm 
common  fondness  for  children  toward  the  girl  Baitola     But 
the  countenance  of  Maximo  is  absolutely  dead  except  a  fa 
attempt  at  roguishness  which  may  be  occasionally  ^covered 
in  the  corners  of  his  mouth.    The  greater  amount  of  love 
which  falls  naturally  to  the  female,  gives  a  lifelike  appearance 


THE   MOUSE.  67 

to  the  face  of  hifl  sister,  and  thus  an  interest,  which  his  has 
not. 

There  is  no  accounting  for  tastes  except  on  principles  of 
Physiognomy.  People  who  resemble  owls  are  attracted  to 
the  Aztecs,  and  find  in  them  a  gratification  of  their  tastes  and 
an  ample  field  for  the  exercise  of  affection  and  fondness.  The 
same  is  true  of  those  who  resemble  cats.  In  the  cat  the  qual- 
ities of  the  mouse  are  assimilated,  and  she  can  but  love  that 
which  gratifies  her,  and  which  corresponds  to  the  playfulness, 
the  refinement,  the  cunning,  and  so  many  other  things,  in  her 
own  nature.  The  part  of  her  nature  that  is  not  mouse  is  made 
up  of  bird  and  fish,  both  of  which  she  is  exceedingly  fond  of. 
That  a  cat  is  fond  of  mice  in  a  higher  sense  than  is  usually 
understood  is  manifest  from  the  delighted  expression  of  her 
eyes  when  she  sees  one,  and  from  her  playing  with  it  before 
she  appropriates  its  little  flesh  and  bones  to  the  gratification 
of  appetite.  You  can  see  that  the  mouse  "  fills  her  eye,"  as 
something  both  good  for  food  and  fair  to  look  upon.  Thus  it 
is  that  the  eye  expresses  taste  and  appetite  in  relation  to 
beauty  and  quality,  which  are  in  most  cases  inseparable.  The 
little  mouse  appeals  to  the  cat  through  her  love  of  infants, 
which  is  wonderful ;  and  it  is  affection,  not  hatred,  in  connec- 
tion with  her  appetite,  that  makes  her  devour  it.  Females 
who  resemble  cats  threaten  to  devour  their  little  ones,  play 
with  them  as  a  cat  with  a  mouse,  bite  harder  than  they  in- 
tend, and  really  feel  as  if  it  would  be  a  pleasure  to  swallow 
them  alive  if  there  were  not  a  higher  law  of  nature,  the  "  sov- 
ereignty of  the  individual,"  to  oppose  it.  We  saw  one  man  in 
whom  the  Aztec  children  excited  extraordinary  affection  and 
delight.  He  kissed  the  girl,  was  enthusiastic  in  his  admiration 
of  their  beauty,  and  went  into  an  ecstasy  at  the  grace  and 
liveliness  of  their  manners.  He  had  a  very  parental  expres- 
sion of  countenance,  and  resembled  a  cat  almost  as  much  as 
the  children  resembled  mice. 

These  children  never  walk;  they  always  run.  Explaining 
the  constant  flexure  of  their  legs  by  the  idea  that  they  may 
have  had  the  rheumatism  some  time  or  other,  is  ridiculous. 
Except  when  they  jump,  they  run  with  a  gliding  motion,  which 


68  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

requires  a  peculiar  step,  like  that  of  the  mouse.  There  is  no 
elevation  upon  the  toes,  or  from  straightening  of  the  limb,  so 
that  (as  in  the  absence  of  locomotion,  or  of  steps  and  paces) 
the  attention  is  directed  principally  to  the  head,  that  glides 
mysteriously  along,  like  a  mouse,  or  like  a  ball  that  is  kicked 
from  one  end  of  a  room  to  the  other :  the  force  seems  to  be 
not  in  itself,  but  behind  it,  or  out  and  around.  The  whole  ex- 
pression of  the  countenance  is  external,  as  if  in  the  gratifica- 
tion of  the  senses  it  would  spend  its  existence.  In  this,  too, 
the  Aztec  children  resemble  mice.  The  first  time  we  saw  the 
boy  Maximo,  there  was  so  little  expression  of  internal  con- 
sciousness, that  we  questioned  whether  he  was  alive.  In  our 
imagination  he  was  a  first  man,  made  of  red  clay,  with  life 
breathed  into  his  nostrils,  where  it  seemed  to  reside,  but  that 
he  had  not  yet  become  a  living  soul.  As  for  Eartola,  she 
should  be  called  "Undine,"  but  how  she  crept  into  the  soul 
of  the  author  of  that  delightful  story  it  is  impossible  to  con- 
ceive. We  should  not  be  more  surprised  to  see  her  in  a  little 
chariot  drawn  by  mice,  than  we  were  at  the  first  sight  of  her. 
Poets  may  cease  dreaming  of  fairies,  for  their  dreams  are  re- 
alized. If  spirits  should  claim  that  these  were  the  first  fruits 
of  their  endeavor  to  clothe  themselves  with  material  forms,  we 
should  be  inclined  to  believe  them. 

But,  seriously,  these  children  do  not  seem  like  beings  of 
flesh  and  blood.  They  may  be  taken  for  souls  without  bodies, 
or  bodies  without  souls,  whichever  we  please  : — 

"All  eye,  all  ear,  the  disembodied  soul"  — 

and  that  is  what  these  Aztec  children  are,  though  it  is  pretty 
evident  that  their  spirits  are  upon  the  outside,  and  that  their 
senses  are  external.  Their  spirits  may  be  said  to  have 
"  stepped  out,"  and  this  gives  the  impression  that  they  are 
dead.  This,  and  the  instant  association  of  their  features  with 
the  Aztec  images,  and  with  the  sculptured  heads  on  the  Cen- 
tral-American ruins,  to  which  they  bear  so  striking  a  resem- 
blance, impressed  our  minds  with  the  idea  that  they  were  the 
work  of  some  modern  Prometheus  who  had  discovered  the 
art  of  creating  human  beings  artificially.     That  grave  coun- 


TIIE    MOUSE.  69 

tenance,  like  that  of  a  graven  image  ;  those  lively  extremities, 
which  might  owe  their  activity  to  galvanism  rather  than  to  a 
head  so  motionless  as  theirs ;  those  animated  dead  eyes ;  that 
stifled  voice,  extorted  as  it  were  by  screws  and  pinching ;  that 
unearthly  attempt  to  speak ;  those  threads  and  hinges  on 
which  the  motive  power,  whatever  it  is,  is  intended  to  oper- 
ate— these,  and  other  things  too  numerous  to  mention,  con- 
stitute a  resemblance  to  the  mouse.  On  the  whole,  they  are 
pretty  little  contrivances  for  the  diversion  of  ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen, old  and  young. 


70  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY 


CHAPTER   X. 

For  all  that  ethnologists  can  discover  to  the  contrary,  the 
origin  of  the  "Aztec  children"  is  hidden  in  impenetrable  ob- 
scurity. They  are  mysterious  little  beings  certainly.  If  they 
are  not  the  productions  of  witchcraft,  they  have  at  least  a 
something  about  them  that  will  cure  "  the  blues."  ~No  ghost 
can  haunt  a  castle  that  is  not  deserted  of  mice.  One  sprite, 
or  fairy,  or  eldrich  thing,  will  drive  out  another,  and  so  it  is 
with  the  little  elves  we  are  speaking  of.  From  hall  or  cottage 
they  will  keep  away  annoyances  of  a  more  serious  nature. 
Like  mice,  they  are  weak  and  helpless.  They  are  born  to 
frisk  and  frolic,  and  to  live  on  preserves  and  confectionery,  in 
a  lordly  mansion,  where  they  are  permitted  to  make  free  use 
of  whatever  they  can  find.  They  are  wholly  incapable  of 
providing  for  themselves ;  and  should  the  mansion  be  de- 
serted, they  would  starve  to  death.  Yet  they  are  useful  in 
their  way,  and  pay  for  the  immunities  that  are  afforded  them. 
Think  not,  gentle  reader,  that  they  are  the  only  persons  who 
resemble  mice ! 

But  the  spirit  personated  in  the  rat  —  oh,  horrible !  Sordid, 
sensual,  its  energies  bent  on  plunder ;  carnivorous,  insatiable ; 
hiding  his  plunder  in  subterranean  holes,  where  he  expects  to 
find  it ;  torturing  the  earth  to  uncover  and  conceal  his  cher- 
ished gold ;  extorting  confessions  and  disclosures  from  the 
miserable  victims  of  his  cupidity  and  lust ;  incarcerating  men 
and  women  in  excavations  of  his  own,  where  his  ratty  soul 
takes  refuge  in  times  of  danger — these  are  the  characteristics 
of  the  worst  of  tyrants,  or  of  those  who  resemble  rats.  On  the 
following  page  is  presented  a  full-length  portrait  of  the  Hindu 
nabob,  Suraj-a-Dowlah,  the  incorrigible  wretch  who  thrust  a 
hundred  and  forty-six  Englishmen  into  a  dungeon  not  twenty 


THE   RAT — THE   HARE. 


71 


feet  square,  known  to  fame  as  the  "  Black  Hole  of  Calcutta." 
It  was  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  when  they  were 
forced  in,  and  "  at  eight  o'clock 
in  the  morning  the  narrow  space 


was  so  completely  blocked  up 
with  the  dead  lying  one  upon  an- 
other, and  those  who  yet  lived 
were  so  weak  and  faint,  that  it 
wTas  with  the  greatest  difficulty 
that  the  door  was  opened.  At 
length  twenty-three  ghastly  fig- 
ures were  brought  out — figures 
that  would  not  have  been  recog- 
nised by  the  mothers  that  bore 
them."  What  better  could  be 
expected  from  a  man  who  resem- 
bled a  horrible  black  rat  ?  If 
there  be  such  a  thing  as  transmi- 
gration of  souls,  it  might  be  some 
gratification  to  the  English  to 
imagine  that  he  was  among  the 

number  of  infernal  rats  that  the  city  of  Paris  made  war  upon, 
killing  thousands  in  "  black  holes"  —  and  that  among  the  skins 
they  purchased  of  the  victors,  to  manufacture  into  gloves,  his 
was  one ! 

Those  whose  faces  resemble  hares  or  rabbits  are  much  pret- 
tier. They  are  attractive,  simple,  lively,  ready  to  act  at  a 
moment's  warning,  but  somewhat  selfish  and  quarrelsome 
withal.  As  with  the  mouse,  there  is  very  little  fraternal  affec- 
tion in  them,  though  filial  love  is  strong.  They  are  remarked 
for  wonderful  aptitude  and  desire  to  learn,  and  for  extraordi- 


72  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

nary  susceptibility  of  improvement.  The  portrait  of  Sir  Henry 
Clinton,  which  follows,  may  be  taken  for  a  model  of  a  school- 
boy countenance.  It  is  that  also  of  a  "hewer  of  wood  and  a 
drawer  of  water."  It  is  the  representative  of  a  useful  class, 
but  of  one  that  learns  to  do  mischief  and  good  with  equal  facil- 
ity. You  can  see  imp>udence  in  that  countenance,  requiring 
only  to  be  let  go  in  order  to  exhibit  it- 
self in  words,  and  to  act  hand-in-hand 
with  mischief,  to  which  it  is  near  akin. 
If  that  were  the  case,  filial  love  would 
be  selfish,  like  the  fondness  of  a  cat  for 
a  mouse  —  requiring  to  be  fed  and 
clothed,  and  making  insolent  demands, 
and  thereby  retaining  the  character 
of  weakness  and  infancy.  The  person 
who  resembles  a  rabbit  is  either  saucy, 
impudent,  idle,  disobedient,  or  the  very 
reverse  ;  for  the  animal  faculties  acting 
in  subserviency  to  those  that  are  peculiarly  human  are  re- 
versed, and  manifest  themselves  in  the  very  opposite  direc- 
tion. Thus  there  is  no  harm  in  resembling  a  savage  beast, 
for  the  traits  of  character  in  such  an  animal  tend  to  innocence, 
peace,  comfort,  contentment,  and  felicity,  as  is  manifested  in 
the  faces,  expressions,  postures,  motions,  and  air,  of  the  feline 
animals,  when  their  passions  are  withdrawn  from  the  external, 
which  is  the  region  of  disturbance,  to  the  internal,  which  is 
the  region  of  tranquillity.  It  is  as  the  difference  between  the 
surface  of  the  ocean  and  the  depths  beneath. 

The  person  who  resembles  the  mouse  has  tendencies  toward 
refinement  and  elevation,  while  the  one  who  resembles  the 
rat  has  none.  The  one  aspires,  ransacks  drawers  and  closets, 
buries  himself  in  books  and  papers  in  garrets,  gleans  knowl- 
edge from  every  source,  finds  profit  in  being  alone,  and  "  all 
the  bread  and  cheese  he  has  he  lays  upon  a  shelf"  The 
other  sinks  in  the  mire  of  corruption,  delves  for  filthy  lucre, 
and  has  no  disposition  to  rise  except  upon  the  heaps  that  he 
can  accumulate. 

The  person  who  resembles  the  squirrel  has  nobler  tenden- 


THE   SQUIRREL. 


73 


cies  than  the  one  who  resembles  the  mouse.  The  squirrel- 
countenance  which  we 
see  here  is  interesting, 
charming,  good,  and 
improves  on  acquaint- 
ance. It  indicates  in- 
terest,simplicity,truth- 
fulness,  cheerful  and 
lively  emotions,  do- 
mestic virtues,  provi- 
dence, industry,  aspi- 
ration, liking  for  chil- 
dren, tenderness,  and 
the  love  of  being  well 
housed  and  made  com- 
fortable. It  resembles 
the  squirrel  in  every- 
thing, as  a  higher  may 
correspond  to  a  lower;  and  who  is  there  that,  from  the  coun- 
tenance alone,  would  not  confirm  our  judgment  of  the  charac- 
ter? It  is  the  face  of  Anne  of  Cleves,  the  fourth  wife  of 
Henry  VIII. 


Of  the  traits  mentioned  in  the  last  character,  maternal  love  is 
the  centre,  around  which  the  others  cluster.     This  is  still  more 


74: 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


remarkably  the  case  with  the  individual  who  resembles  the 
opossum.  But  the  latter  is  as  homely  as  the  former  is  beau- 
tiful ;  and  this  word  "homely"  is  the  very  one  to  express  the 


looks  and  dispositions  of  the  per- 
son referred  to :  the  parental  feel- 
ing is  so  strong,  that  even  in  the 
male  it  seems  maternal,  and  in  the  female  it  seems  more  than 
that.  This  is  a  rude  sketch  of  a  South  African,  an  old  Bossouto 
warrior,  a  convert  to  Christianity.  For  a  resemblance  to  the 
opossum,  that  carries  its  young  ones  in  a  pouch,  and  loves  to 
do  so,  we  may  well  look  to  the  African  mothers,  who  carry 
their  children  continually  about  them,  so  that  the  office  of 
child-bearing  never  ceases.  The  Ethiops  are  children,  as  be- 
fore described,  and  parental  love  in  'children  exhibits  itself 
chiefly  in  carrying  babies  in  their  arms,  which  is  the  more 
servile  employment,  but  easy,  because  it  is  a  child's  affection, 
the  exercise  of  which  is  play.  Whatever  animal  the  Africans 
resemble  is  fond  of  carrying  young  things ;  and  this  is  the 
principal  secret  of  the  elephant's  wonderful  docility,  for  men 
are  playthings  to  him,  and  he  serves  his  master  as  a  negro 
does  a  child,  or  as  a  heathen  does  his  idol.  He  rides  him  on 
his  tusks,  tosses  him  on  his  back,  takes  him  down  again,  teters 
him  up  and  down,  as  if  he  would  say,  "This  is  my  doll-baby." 


THE   MONKEY.  75 


CHAPTEE   XI. 

It  would  be  a  strange  thing  indeed  if,  in  tracing  the  resem- 
blance between  men  and  animals,  we  should  overlook  the 
monkey.  The  class  of  animals  called  simia  similate  man  so 
perfectly  as  often  to  create  the  suspicion  that  there  is  some- 
thing human  in  them.  The  orang-outang  is  justly  entitled  to 
the  appellation  of  "  wild  man  of  the  woods,"  though  some 
consider  it  too  high  an  honor  to  bestow  upon  him  for  his  mock- 
ery of  the  human  species.  But  man  was  born  to  be  created, 
to  labor  as  an  artist  in  the  production  of  an  image  and  like- 
ness of  the  Divine  ;  and,  until  he  has  made  himself  a  man,  he 
is  a  mere  child,  a  mere  production  of  Nature,  a  wild  man  of 
the  woods.  The  orang-outang  has  not  one  particle  of  the 
artist  about  him,  and  therefore  he  is  not  and  never  can  be  a 
man. 

The  ape,  as  a  representative  of  the  class  to  which  he  be- 
longs, is  a  parody  on  the  human  race.  Pie  represents  the 
perversions  of  human  nature  in  the  extreme,  and  operates  as 
a  check,  without  which  man  would  set  no  bounds  to  his  folly 
arid  madness,  his  vanity  and  pride,  and  would  degenerate 
into  the  ape  he  now  despises. 

Of  the  perversions  to  which  man  is  liable,  and  which  con- 
stitute his  resemblance  to  the  monkey,  let  us  speak  in  order. 
First,  his  assumption  of  appearances  and  manners  not  belong- 
ing to  him ;  his  affectation  of  qualities  superior  to  his  own ; 
his  ambition  to  pass  for  a  being  of  superior  mould  —  to  palm 
himself  off  for  a  god.  It  is  Dr.  Adam  Clarke  (is  it  not?)  who 
supposes  that  the  temptation  of  our  first  parents  (that  by  eat- 
ing the  forbidden  fruit  they  should  be  as  gods,  knowing  good 
and  evil)  was  suggested  by  an  orang-outang ;  but  now-a-days 
the  creature  operates  as  a  preventive  to  such  a  vain  ambition. 


76  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

The  rock  on  which  they  split  is  a  warning  to  their  posterity ; 
and  those  who  disregard  it  must  appear  very  much  to  the 
angels  as  monkeys  do  to  us : — 


Man,  proud  man, 


Dressed  in  a  little  brief  authority, 
Plays  such  fantastic  tricks  before  high  Heaven, 
As  make  the  angels  weep — who  witli  our  spleens 
Would  all  themselves  laugh  mortal." 

Human  beings  are  pleased  with  a  reflection  of  themselves 
in  a  glass,  in  the  minds  of  others  (particularly  when  they  can 

have  their  characters  described  to 
them),  in  every  object  that  they  re- 
semble, even  in  a  monkey.  Hence 
they  are  more  amused  with  these  an- 
imals than  any  other,  laugh  heartily 
at  their  grimaces  and  mannerly  ways, 
and  in  doing  so  resemble  them  still 
more. 

Be  it  observed  that  apes  are  not 
ambitious  to  be  men,  but  as  men, 
and  the  ambition  of  men  is  not  to  be 
angels,  but  as  such.  It  is  a  great  mistake  to  suppose  that  men 
should  not  aspire  to  be  angels.  The  error  is  in  wishing  to  ap- 
pear such  when  they  are  not.  They  rob  heaven  of  its  sacred 
things,  that  they  may  appear  divine,  and  receive  the  homage 
that  is  due  to  the  Supreme  Being,  not  considering  that  these 
things  are  forbidden  fruit.  They  rob  humanity,  which  is  rob- 
bery of  Him  who  created  man  in  his  own  image,  and  with 
the  things  they  steal  from  their  fellow-beings  they  invest  them- 
selves, and  thereby  claim  for  themselves  divinity,  and  com- 
mand that  those  whom  they  have  robbed  should  fall  down 
and  worship  them  —  worship  the  garments,  the  equipage,  the 
gold,  the  power,  which  they  have  filched  from  the  hands 
of  the  poor  and  needy.  There  is  not  a  thing  they  wear  but 
that  is  a  token  of  something  heavenly,  and  is  therefore  too 
good  for  them.  It  is  the  proper  clothing  of  beings  that  are 
good  and  pure,  humble,  and  moved  by  charity  in  everything 
they  do.     It  is  not  one  man,  but  the  majority,  that  "  steal  the 


THE   MONKEY. 


77 


livery  of  heaven  to  serve  the  devil  in."  Hence  the  ape  is  a 
representative  of  mankind  in  general,  and  combines  in  his 
physiognomy  and  character  all  sorts  of  animals  —  some  men 
resembling  one  species  of  monkey,  and  some  another! 

The  disposition  to  take  what  does  not  belong  to  him  is  con- 
spicuous in  man's  social  relations,  especially  in  the  commer- 
cial department,  and  this  also  is  strikingly  exhibited  in  the 
monkey.  In  a  community  of  apes  it  is  the  practice  to  look, 
every  man,  on  the  things  of  his  neighbor,  with  an  eye  to  their 
appropriation  to  his  own  use  ; 
and  we  can  well  imagine  what 
sort  of  order  and  harmony  must 
prevail  in  a  community  that  is 
regulated  by  such  a  principle  as 
this.  Monkeys  are  actuated  by 
the  feeling  that  what  another  has 
is  theirs ;  that  "  stolen  waters  are 
sweet ;"  that  what  is  stolen  is  bet- 
ter than  what  is  given  to  them  — 
are  always  reaching  their  arms 

into  their  neighbors'  provinces,  grabbing  at  each  other's  food, 
pulling  tails,  kicking  up  a  row,  causing  hubbub  and  confusion, 

abusing  and  insulting  each 
other  to  the  face,  and  "  rob- 
bing Peter  to  pay  Paul"  in 
every  possible  way  they  can 
think  of.  This  is  all  in  the 
disposition  to  similate  man  ; 
and  if  they  will  rob  man  of 
his  distinctive  attributes  (for 
this  is  humanity  perverted), 
of  course  they  will  rob  each 
other. 

The  second  liability  to  per- 
version which  constitutes  a 
resemblance  to  the  monkey 
is  that  of  the  domestic  affec- 
The  ambition  to  seem,  rather  than  to  be,  withdraws 


« 


tions. 


78 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


everything  from  within  and  expends  it  upon  the  surface  in  a 
deceptive  appearance,  which  is  worse  than  nothing  at  all. 

"  How  little  do  they  know  what  is,  who  frame 
Their  hasty  judgment  upon  that  which  seems  ."* 

The  mere  shell-of-an-individual  is  hollow-hearted.  Like  a 
balloon  he  exalts  himself  on  account  of  his  greatness,  and 
proves  rather  how  vapid  is  his  intellect,  and  how  little  there 
is  in  him.  Of  sensibility  and  shame  he  has  so  small  an 
amount,  that  they  are  hardly  appreciable.  To  make  room  for 
pride  and  vanity,  he  deprives  the  domestic  affections  of  their 
home,  where  alone  they  are  capable  of  existing;  he  turns 
them  out  upon  the  surface,  where  they  grow  cold,  die,  and  are 
petrified  into  an  appearance  of  reality.  It  is  worse  than 
naught,  for  love  without  tenderness  is  inhuman.  Its  feeling, 
its  consciousness,  its  susceptibility  to  pleasure  and  pain,  which 
is  internal,  is  lost  in  brutality,  or  mere  instinctiveness,  which 
is  upon  the  outside. 

The  instinctiveness  of  a  faculty  exhibits  itself  in  gesture. 
Parental  love  in  a  child  is  chiefly  this,  and  expends  itself  on 
dolls.  In  parents  it  is  developed  interiorly,  and  relates  to 
conscious  infants  that  can  laugh  and  cry.  The  first  and  low- 
est action  is  instinctive ;  the  last  and  highest  is  a  conscious 
one.  In  the  monkey  there  is  the  same  action  of  parental  love 
that  there  is  in  a  child.  The  creature  handles  its  young  one 
as  if  it  were  a  rag-baby,  and  this  appears  like  an  imitation  of 
a  human  mother,  though  it  is  far  more  like  the  actions  of  a 
little  girl.  Anything  that  can  be  made  a  baby  of,  like  a  mar- 
mozet,  attracts  the  attention  of  an  orang-outang  instantly  ;  and 
his  actions  when  he  sees  it — his  desire  to  have  it,  his  manner 
of  holding  it,  and  every  sign  and  movement  that  he  makes 
under  the  excitement  of  this  superficial  impulse  —  is  strikingly 
similar  to  that  of  a  little  girl  under  the  excitement  of  the  pas- 
sion for  dolls.  The  simplicity,  gravity,  earnestness,  and  eager- 
ness, of  this  mockery  of  a  mother's  love,  is  exceedingly  ludi- 
crous, when  we  reflect  that  it  is  merely  instinctive  ;  that  there 
is  no  emotion  of  tenderness  in  it,  no  feeling  of  responsibility, 
no  exercise  of  consciousness,  prompted  by  susceptibility  to 


THE   MONKEY.  79 

pleasure  or  pain,  in  the  object  of  attention.  In  assuming  the 
dress  and  manner  of  superiors,  in  taking  what  does  not  belong 
to  them,  in  the  affectation  that  accompanies  parental  love, 
and  in  parental  love  itself,  mankind  are  "  children  of  an  older 
growth  ;"  and  in  so  far  as  they  are  children  they  are  natural, 
and  in  so  far  as  they  are  natural  they  resemble  monkeys. 

That  monkeys  act  as  men  naturally  do,  is  too  plainly  at- 
tested by  the  senses  to  admit  of  a  contradiction.  In  superfi- 
cial people,  especially,  parental  love  is  upon  the  outside  ;  their 
children  are  dolls,  and  they  dress  them  accordingly,  as  if  they 
were  insensible  to  pain  and  invulnerable  to  disease.  That 
comfort  and  health  are  not  the  first  considerations  is  quite 
certain,  and  hence  the  conscious  action  of  parental  love  is  less 
than  the  instinctive.  The  latter  is  a  blind  idolatry,  that  de- 
fends its  young  with  one  hand,  while  with  the  other  it  presses 
it  to  death.  "Where  mankind  are  most  like  monkeys,  children 
are  most  like  dolls  —  the  objects  of  idle  ceremony  and  parade, 
of  passionate  attention  alternating  with  cruel  neglect.  At  one 
time  they  are  addressed  as  if  they  were  fools,  and  of  no  ac- 
count ;  at  another  they  have  powers  imputed  to  them  equal  to 
those  of  Shakspere :  and,  in  keeping  with  this  idea,  they  are 
at  times  considered  helpless,  and  at  other  times  have  tasks 
imposed  upon  them  that  are  suited  to  giants. 

This  blind,  instinctive  action  of  parental  love  is  the  origin 
of  idolatry.  It  is  like  the  devotion  of  an  ant  to  the  agg  that 
he  is  going  to  place  in  his  temple.  Idols  are  the  dolls  of  fool- 
ish, wicked  people,  who  retain  the  characters  of  children  when 
they  ought  to  be  men.  As  dolls  are  exalted  into  objects  of 
importance,  so  are  these  ;  though,  as  they  are  "  children  of  an 
idle  brain,"  they  are  at  times  treated  with  contempt  by  those 
who  made  them.  They  are  the  objects  of  a  thousand  childish 
conceits,  of  ridiculous  ceremonies,  of  pantomimic  show,  of  un- 
meaning jibber  and  nonsense.  The  places  in  which  they  are 
kept  are  such  as  children  choose  for  baby-houses.  The  atten- 
tion that  is  shown  them  passes  for  filial  reverence,  though,  as 
they  are  objects  of  parental  affection,  the  appearance  of  re- 
spect is  mere  mockery.  Of  a  mother  who  shows  this  blind- 
ness of  parental  love,  it  is  often  said,  "She  worships  that 


80 


COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 


child  ;"  and  the  reverence  of  an  idolator  is  this,  and  nothing 
more. 

The  first  of  the  domestic  af- 
fections in  a  proper  and  order- 
ly state  is  the  conjugal,  but  in 


a  state  of  perversion  the  first  is  the  parental;  and  the  charac- 
ter of  the  primary  affection  is  the  character  of  all  the  rest. 
But  we  forbear  to  speak  farther  of  the  resemblance  between 
mankind  and  the  monkey.  It  may  be  observed,  however, 
that  the  more  angles  there  are  in  the  countenance,  and  the 
greater  angularity  in  the  corners  of  the  mouth  and  eyes,  and 
in  the  dimples,  the  greater  is  the  resemblance  to  the  monkey, 
in  both  character  and  physiognomy.  In  those  who  resemble 
the  mouse,  there  is  the  opposite,  viz.,  roundness.  The  most 
perfect  contour  is  a  medium  between  the  two,  and  this  is  the 
symmetrical. 


THE   FISH. 


81 


CHAPTER   XII. 


From  time  immemorial  human  beings  have  exhibited  a 
fondness  for  clothing  themselves  in  scales  and  armor,  and 
have  chosen  circumstances  which  would  afford  occasion  for 
doing  so.  This  is  very  appropriate  in  one  who  is  like  a  fish 
in  physiognomy,  as  in  the  individual  before  us,  or  in  one  who 
resembles  a  serpent.  The  strongest 
element  in  military  ambition  is  the 
love  of  contest,  the  object  of  which 
is  the  palm  of  victory,  or  a  prize ; 
and  this  it  is  which  governs  the  ac- 
tions of  a  fish,  and  fills  up  the  meas- 
ure of  existence  in  the  life  of  a  snake. 
In  the  pursuit  of  food  there  is  a  con- 
test for  the  greatest  mouthfuls,  and 
for  the  greatest  number  of  prizes ; 
and  hence  the  serpent  lays  in  a 
month's  provisions  at  a  single  swal- 
low, and  the  fish  rushes  forward  in  the  pursuit  of  food,  eager 
to  get  it  first,  and  dashes  it  down  without  stopping  to  enjoy 
his  meals.  It  is  always  a  race  with  others  for  the  prize,  which 
he  who  is  the  swiftest  wins. 

By  the  union  of  contest  with  the  love  of  food,  Appetite  is  ren- 
dered rapacious ;  and,  never  satisfied,  it  rushes  onward  for  more. 
The  laurel  won  in  battle  is  lost  by  the  ambition  for  another 
still.  It  is  neither  tasted  nor  enjoyed,  and  is  therefore  noth- 
ing gained.  The  love  of  contest  is  not  limited  by  appetite : 
it  wants  the  whole,  so  long  as  one  atom  of  it  is  in  danger  of 
being  seized  by  another.  It  gives  the  poor  fish  no  rest  —  it 
urges  him  on  continually,  as  it  does  those  who  are  actuated 
by  a  like  ambition,  of  whom  it  is  said,  "There  is  no  peace  to 

6 


82 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


the  wicked."  The  finny  tribes  not  only  race,  but  do  battle 
with  eacli  other;  they  have  swords  and  bayonets,  as  well  as 
shields  and  bucklers,  and  engines-of-war  for  beating  down 
barriers,  as  well  as  barriers  for  resisting  assault.  They  bela- 
bor each  other  with  their  tails,  as  if  they  had  boasted  to  "  beat 
each  other  all  hollow,"  and  the  trial  had  commenced. 

The  African  tribes 
whose  contentions  fur- 
nish victims  for  the 
slave-trade  are  of  the 
variety  of  negroes  that 
are  like  fishes  rather 
than  elephants.  The 
negro  fisheries  along 
the  coast  of  Africa  de- 
pend on  the  same  ex- 
igencies, the  fisher- 
men cruise  about  with 
the  same  uncertain- 
ties and  hopes  of  suc- 
cess, are  prompted  by  the  same  tastes  and  associations,  are 
stimulated  by  the  same  desire  of  gain  (only  far  more  intense- 
ly), as  the  fisheries  on  the  coast  of  Newfoundland  and  else- 
where. But  there  is  a  piratical 
bloodthirstiness  in  the  one  case 
which  there  is  not  in  the  other. 
Catching  negroes  is  akin  to  fish- 
ing, and  the  caught  are  stowed 
away  on  board  vessels  like  cod- 
fish and  whale-oil ;  and  were  it 
not  that  they  resemble  fishes, 
and  that  there  is  a  feeling  of 
this,  and  a  dim  perception  of 
it,  the  business  would  be  per- 
fectly infernal.  There  is  always 
something  to  relieve  men  from  the  charge  of  being  devils  in- 
carnate, and  to  place  them  in  a  position  in  which  their  refor- 
mation is  not  to  be  despaired  of. 


THE   FISH. 


83 


Allowing  that  the  class  of  negroes  we  are  speaking  of  re- 
semble fishes,  as  we  see  by  the  foregoing  figure  and  the  one 
following,  what  could  we  expect  from  them  in  slavery,  and  in 
any  other  country  than  their  own,  but  that  they  should  act 
like  "fishes  out  of  water"?  They  are  not  in  their  element, 
but  the  talents  natural  to  them  are  put  forth  in  a  new  direc- 
tion. The  last  time  we 
had  the  pleasure  of  hear- 
ing a  negro  play  the  ban- 
jo, we  were  delighted  to 
see  how  strikingly  the 
music  corresponded  to 
the  twitches  and  vibra- 
tions of  a  fish  that  is  try- 
ing to  live  on  air,  and  to 
make  it  a  substitute  for 
water.  Whoever  will  pay 
attention  to  it,  will  be 
equally  struck  with  the 
similarity.  Then,  again, 
the  dancing  that  accom- 
panies the  banjo,  and  in  which  fifty  negroes  may  be  engaged, 
is  like  the  flopping  of  so  many  fishes  up  and  down,  and  from 
side  to  side,  on  their  fins 
and  tails.  You  might  fan- 
cy that  you  had  fallen  down 
into  some  charmed  region 
beneath  the  ocean,  into  a 
company  of  mermaids. 

We  have  heard  it  said 
that  the  West  India  negroes 
are  extravagantly  fond  of 
fish,  all  the  more  if  it  has 
swum  in  brine  since  it  was 
alive.  Negroes  of  the  kind 
that  may  be  compared  to 
weeds  on  a  plantation  are  excessively  prolific,  as  they  should 
be  to  resemble  fishes.     In  slavery  there  is  no  field  for  the 


84:  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

exercise  of  the  love  of  contest,  which  in  a  state  of  cultivation 
would  make  them  pant  to  excel  and  to  outstrip  others  in  the 
pursuit  of  noble  objects.  The  ambition  which  is  the  princi- 
pal ingredient  in  their  natures  is  turned  into  a  strife  for  supe- 
riority in  laziness,  in  eating  and  drinking,  in  lying  and  steal- 
ing, and  in  various  kinds  of  profligacy.  But  they  are  in  the 
first  stages  of  training.  There  are  many  degrees  between  the 
lowest  action  of  the  love  of  contest  and  the  highest ;  let  them 
be  elevated  to  the  latter,  and  they  will  aspire  to  "  glory,  honor, 
and  immortality,"  as  individuals  of  them  have  done  already. 
There  are  no  people  who  are  naturally  more  ambitious  than 
they.  In  dancing,  music,  and  religious  exercises,  so  far  as 
exertion  is  concerned,  they  excel  all  others ;  and  exertion, 
other  things  being  equal,  is  the  measure  of  ambition. 

Of  the  class  of  negroes  who  resemble  fishes,  some  are  simi- 
lar to  whales,  and  these  are  akin  to  those  who  resemble  ele- 
phants. Both  are  fond  of  spouting,  as  are  the  animals  them- 
selves, and  this  opens  a  channel  for  their  ambition  to  flow  in. 
It  is  in  proportion  to  their  feeling  of  greatness ;  and  it  may 
be  the  same  feeling  in  the  elephant  and  the  whale  that  causes 
them  to  engage  in  the  corresponding  exercise.  The  negro 
distinguishes  himself  for  his  laugh  as  well  as  for  his  speechi- 
fying, and  the  stress  which  he  lays  upon  the  former  shows 
that  he  attaches  importance  to  it.  There  is  very  great  char- 
acter in  the  sudden  explosion  of  sounds  called  "  laughter,"  for 
it  proceeds  from  the  bottom  of  the  heart,  and  shows  the  depths 
of  a  man's  soundings  (which  are  in  some  cases  exceedingly 
shallow),  together  with  the  quality  of  the  ground  —  whether  it 
be  rock,  sand,  clay,  or  gravel.  The  negro's  "Y-e-w-a-h!  — 
yah !  yah !  yah !"  is  wonderfully  like  the  sound  which  we 
have  often  heard  in  a  menagerie,  proceeding  from  the  ele- 
phant—  especially  the  first,  "  Y-e-w-a-h!"  —  of  which  "yah! 
yah  !  yah !"  is  the  echo.  It  seems  as  if  the  negro  struck  upon, 
the  resemblance  in  his  nature  to  the  elephant,  and  sent  it 
forth  in  a  sound  expressive  of  his  consciousness  of  it ;  and 
then,  to  show  his  pleasure,  and  at  the  same  time  a  little  of 
shame  at  the  foolishness  of  what  he  has  discovered,  laughed 
at  the  sound,  or  echoed  it — for  echo  is  laughter. 


THE   FISH.  85 

This  is  our  opinion  of  echo,  and  of  the  philosophy  of  laugh- 
ing, and  we  think  that  others  will  be  inclined  to  agree  with 
lis.  The  reason  why  animals  do  not  laugh  is,  that  there  is  no 
echo  in  them  ;  they  have  nothing  but  themselves  —  they  are 
the  original  sound,  and  the  echo  is  in  man.  Laughter  is  a 
reflection  of  nature ;  it  shows  man  to  be  an  artist.  Echo  is 
in  exact  proportion  to  the  perfection  of  art.  A  landscape  or 
a  temple,  to  be  beautiful,  must  be  full  of  echoes ;  this  will 
prove  that  it  is  in  harmony  with  nature,  or  that  it  is  a  reflec- 
tion of  beauty  of  which  nature  is  the  original.  Artists  resemble 
horses,  and  the  horse  utters  a  sound  that  is  exceedingly  like 
laughter :  this  is  so  faithfully  imitated  by  a  large  number  of 
people,  that  the  "  horse-laugh"  has  become  proverbial. 

A  volume  might  be  written  on  the  varieties  of  laughter, 
showing  that  those  who  laugh  like  horses  resemble  horses; 
that  those  whose  laughter  is  an  echo  of  the  voice  of  the  lion 
resemble  lions.;  that  those  whose  laughter  the  parrot  is  fond 
of  imitating,  resemble  parrots ;  that  those  who  echo  the  voice 
of  the  crow  resemble  crows ;  and  so  on. 


86  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

Man  is  reared  upon  the  animal,  as  a  temple  is  reared  upon 
its  base.  The  mineral  kingdom  is  the  substratum  of  the  vege- 
table, the  vegetable  of  the  animal,  and  the  animal  of  man. 
The  human  temple,  as  a  whole,  is  based  upon  the  entire  ani- 
mal kingdom ;  and  one  stone  of  that  temple  is  raised  upon 
the  back  of  a  turtle,  another  on  an  eagle,  another  on  a  horse, 
another  on  a  lion,  and  so  on  to  the  end  of  the  catalogue.  The 
basis  and  the  superstructure,  of  course,  resemble  each  other ; 
but  the  former  is  created  for  the  latter,  the  lower  for  the 
higher,  the  animal  for  the  human :  and  hence  it  should  be 
said  that  animals  resemble  men,  and  not  the  reverse,  except 
by  implication.  In  a  city  where  no  two  houses  were  of  the 
same  appearance  and  dimensions,  each  foundation  would  cor- 
respond to  its  own  house  better  than  to  any  other ;  and  as 
persons  differ  from  each  other,  it  is  evident  that  one  animal 
will  resemble  one,  and  another  another. 


There  are 


More  things  in  heaven  and  earth,  Horatio, 
Than  are  dreamed  of  in  your  philosophy." 

There  is  a  science  of  poetry  as  well  as  of  physics.  All  gen- 
eral truths  are  made  up  of  particulars ;  and  no  one  will  deny 
that  the  kingdoms  of  Nature  rise  one  above  another,  and  that 
each  kingdom  is  composed  of  parts,  and  that  the  parts  above 
must  have  an  orderly  relation  to  those  beneath.  For  each 
vegetable  there  is  a  mineral,  for  each  animal  there  is  a  vege- 
table, and  for  each  man  there  is  an  animal ;  and  the  vege- 
table that  is  the  animal's,  and  the  mineral  that  is  the  vege- 
table's, are  man's  also.  Why  not,  if  the  second  kingdom  of 
Nature  rests  upon  the  first,  the  third  upon  the  second,  and  if 
man  is  supported  by  them  all  ? 


MEN    AND    ANIMALS.  87 

This  relation  does  not  imply  that  a  particular  man  subsists 
upon  a  particular  animal ;  for  the  truth  is,  each  man  is  a  rep- 
resentative of  his  race,  and  comprehends  in  himself  all  sorts 
of  animals,  so  that  he  somewhat  resembles  them  all.  He  is 
an  individual,  and  not  to  be  confounded  with  things  in  gen- 
eral. It  is  true  that  he  "  eats  everything,"  selecting  at  will 
from  the  three  kingdoms  of  Nature,  and  balancing  himself 
into  a  likeness  of  all  things  ;  but  his  resemblance  to  some  one 
particular  specimen  of  natural  history  is  still  retained.  If  his 
foundation  be  a  lion,  self-love  will  cause  him  to  love  and  ad- 
mire that  animal,  and  he  will  cherish  in  himself  the  attributes 
that  he  admires  and  loves.  But  tjie  superstructure  which  he 
rears  may  be  so  beautiful,  so  perfect,  that  the  basis  will  not 
be  observed.  He  may,  indeed,  love  the  foundation  so  greatly 
as  to  care  for  nothing  higher ;  but  when  he  has  reared  a  beau- 
tiful temple  upon  it,  which  is  himself,  he  values  it  all  the 
more  for  the  sake  of  the  use.  His  first  affection  is  self-love, 
and  looks  to  nothing  beyond  the  animal ;  his  second  is  benev- 
olence, and  looks  to  humanity,  and  to  elevating  himself  into 
a  representative  of  his  race,  and  this  is  his  true  and  noble  self, 
in  the  love  of  which  the  love  of  the  neighbor  is  included.  It 
is  a  beautiful  conception  which  places  a  hero  upon  the  back 
of  a  lion,  another  of  a  different  character  upon  a  leopard,  an- 
other upon  a  horse ;  but  what  would  we  think  of  the  artist 
who  should  place  his  hero  upon  a  cow,  a  hog,  or  a  deer? 
The  impropriety  of  such  a  thing  arises  from  the  fact  that  man 
is  reared  upon  the  animal  kingdom  once,  and  not  twice ; 
upon  the  horse  in  one  way,  and  upon  the  cow  in  another. 

The  animals  which  men  in  general  have  the  greatest  resem- 
blance to  are  those  that  they  are  most  inclined  to  rear  them- 
selves upon,  by  either  eating  their  flesh  or  riding  upon  their 
backs.  Thus  the  resemblance  is  increased.  This  is  desira- 
ble, for  in  this  world  at  least  man  must  have  a  foundation  to 
stand  upon.  He  derives  a  stamina  from  the  animal  kingdom 
which  the  vegetable  does  not  afford,  and  from  the  vegetable 
a  substance  which  is  supplied  in  a  very  scanty  degree  by  the 
mineral.  But  for  a  foundation  to  his  feet  the  mineral  king- 
dom is  the  best.     Man  has  a  feeling  that,  whatever  animal  it 


88  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

is  proper  for  him  to  bestride,  it  is  not  proper  for  him  to  eat, 
and  vice  versa. '  Hence  the  ass,  the  horse,  the  elephant,  the 
camel,  and  the  llama,  are  not  associated  in  the  mind  with 
the  ideas  of  slaughter,  nor  with  the  desire  for  flesh  :  and  Na- 
ture, to  suit  this  law,  has  made  the  flesh  of  the  animals  that 
are  most  suitable  for  burden  distasteful.  But  the  ox,  the  deer, 
the  sheep,  the  goat,  suggest  the  propriety  of  sacrificing  their 
lives  for  our  own  ;  and  in  proportion  as  they  do  so,  the  idea 
of  sitting  upon  them,  or  of  using  them  as  beasts  of  burden, 
strikes  us  as  absurd. 


THE   DEER.  89 


CHAPTEE   XIV. 

People  who  feel  and  think  alike,  and  love  the  same  things, 
are  drawn  together  by  their  sympathies  and  by  their  attrac- 
tion to  the  same  objects.  Associating  with  each  other,  their 
points  of  difference  are  reconciled,  and  they  learn  to  agree 
more  and  more.  This  principle  is  applicable  to  the  associa- 
tions between  men  and  animals,  which  are  in  many  cases 
exceedingly  intimate,  and  also  to  the  intercourse  of  animals 
with  each  other.  "  Birds  of  a  feather  flock  together ;"  and 
the  bringing  together  of  animals  that  are  antagonistic  may 
harmonize  them  in  such  a  degree,  that  the  cage  in  which  they 
are  confined  may  be  compared  to  "  Noah's  ark." 

We  will  take  a  special  instance  for  the  illustration  of  our 
principle.  It  must  have  been  an  agreement  in  the  first  place 
between  the  Laplander  and  the  reindeer  that  brought  them 
together.  The  former  must  have  seen  the  adaptation  of  the 
latter  to  his  own  necessities  and  pursuits ;  and  the  latter, 
when  brought  into  the  service  of  his  superior,  acknowledged, 
by  his  submission  and  acceptance  of  favors  in  return,  that  no 
violence  was  done  to  his  nature,  but  that  there  was  afforded 
a  wider  field  for  the  exercise  of  his  predominant  faculties. 
The  Laplander,  on  the  other  hand,  seeing  what  the  reindeer 
could  do,  expanded  his  thoughts,  inspired  the  spirit  of  the 
animal,  and  adapted  himself  to  the  instincts  and  habits  which 
were  to  be  called  into  his  own  service,  and  which  required 
to  be  ministered  to  in  order  that  they  might  be  a  benefit  to 
himself ;  and  it  is  very  likely  that  powers  that  would  have 
remained  dormant  in  the  deer,  for  want  of  exercise,  were 
awakened  by  the  duties  imposed  upon  him. 

This  is  the  relation  in  which  the  Laplander  and  reindeer 
stand  to  each  other  at  present,  for  they  are  as  primitive  as 


90 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


ever,  and  the  deer  is  ready  at  any  time  to  go  wild,  and  Lis 
master  is  in  a  state  of  exertion  to  reclaim  him.  And  that  they 
have  a  strong:  resemblance  to  each  other  is  certain.  "What- 
ever  produces  similarity  in  character,  produces  similarity  in 
countenance,  in  body,  manners,  and  appearance.  The  rein- 
deer is  like  the  Laplander  as  a  whole  ;  and  in  the  manner  of 
standing,  and  in  the  features  of  the  face,  there  is  a  striking 
similarity.  The  causes  of  this  similarity  are  numerous  and 
powerful.  The  reindeer  is  the  animal  that  belongs  to  the 
Laplander  especially ;  and  the  country  to  which  the  former  is 
adapted  the  latter  will  inhabit,  though  he  be  threatened  never 
so  hard  with  being  "  imprisoned  in  chilling  regions  of  thick- 
ribbed  ice."  —  "That  dreary  region,"  says  a  writer,  "owes  to 
this  animal  whatever  it  possesses  of  civilization,  and  whatever 
comforts  tend  to  make  it  supportable  to  the  inhabitants."  The 
Laplander's  foundation-stone,  the  lap  of  earth  on  which  he  is 
reared,  is  the  reindeer;  and  add  to  the  causes  mentioned 
above,  the  fact  that  he  is  principally  reared  upon  the  flesh 
and  milk  of  this  animal,  and  converts  every  part  of  the  car- 
cass into  something  of  his  own,  and  it  is  no  wonder  that  the 
resemblance  between  them  is  so  great. 

It  was  remarked  in  the  former  chapter  that  for  eveiy  ani- 


THE   DEEE. 


91 


rnal  there  is  a  plant.  Sometimes  the  animal  lives  upon  its 
plant  and  sometimes  it  does  not,  but  there  is  a  resemblance 
between  the  one  and  the  other,  as  there  is  between  man  and 
animals.  The  plant  proper  to  the  reindeer  is  his  food,  the 
reindeer-moss,  and  this  he  resembles,  particularly  in  the  horns, 
which  are  the  more  vegetable  portion  of  his  organization. 
"Whoever  admires  deer's-horns  admires  trees,  and  branching 
shrubs,  and  flowers,  of  which  lichens  appear  to  be  the  types 
and  originals.     This  portrait  of  an  eminent  painter  of  flowers 


resembles  a  deer,  and 
looks  as  if  flowers  and 
snow-flakes  should  be 
showered  about  his  head  in  honor  of  his  talent,  as  well  as  for 
the  gratification  of  his  taste. 

The  person  on  the  following  page  is  one  who  has  more  of 
the  literal  deer  in  him  than  is  becoming,  or  rather  he  has  too 
little  of  the  higher  attributes  that  are  proper  to  man.  His 
resemblance  to  the  deer  is  more  striking  from  the  deficiency 
of  that  which  conceals  the  animal  by  converting  it  into  the 
higher  use  which  it  is  intended  to  subserve.  We  should  as- 
cribe to  him  insensibility,  wildness,  impetuosity,  love  of  lib- 
erty, determination  to  have  his  own  way,  a  measuring  of 
obstacles  at  a  single  glance,  but  never  removing  them,  an 
aversion  to  others  on  account  of  scruples  of  conscience,  which 
he  is  pleased  to  call  trifles,  and  finally  a  disposition  to  elope 


92 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


with  some  fair  one  who  may  be  taken  with  his  dashing  ap- 
pearance. 

To  resemble  an  animal 
that  has  horns  upon  his 
head  for  ornament  rather 
than  for  use,  is  to  be  sub- 
ject more  than  others  to 
dej:>ression  of  spirits  —  to 
"  the  blues"  —  to  feelings 
like  those  which  follow  in- 
toxication—  and  to  that 
complication  of  nervous 
sensations  called  "the  hor- 
rors." Ornaments  prove 
the  heaviest  burdens,  but 
where  Nature  grants  them 
she  gives  also  the  strength 
to  support  them.  Persons 
who  resemble  deers  have 
their  "  ups  and  downs ;"  and  whatever  it  is  in  the  mind  that 
corresponds  to  the  horns  on  the  head  of  a  deer,  is  like  two 
trees,  barren  in  win- 
ter, but  covered  with 
foliage  and  flowers  in 
summer.  In  the  mind, 
summer  should  be  per- 
petual :  the  trees  and 
shrubs  should  be  ever- 
greens, like  moss,  and 
the  flowers  perennial ; 
snowflakes  in  one  sea- 
son, and  blossoms  in 
another.  Thus  the  per- 
son who  resembles  the 
deer  may  be  happy  al- 
ways. In  his  "  up  and 
down"  he  should  be 
elastic  and  bounding.     Cowper's  is  a  head  that  resembles  a 


THE   DEER.  93 

deer  very  strongly.  That  spontaneous  effusion,  "  John  Gil- 
pin," is  the  deer  that,  in  his  feeling  of  abandonment,  he  rested 
back  upon  —  the  deer  that  ran  away  with  him. 

"Away  went  hat  and  wig"  — 

and  away  went  the  heavy  deers'-horns  —  the  barren,  leafless, 
winter  trees — from  the  mind,  and  juvenile  ones  budded  and 
blossomed  in  their  places. 

It  may  be  said  of  those  who  resemble  deers,  that  they  are 
inclined  to 

"Look  from  Nature  up  to  Nature's  God." 

They  reason  from  effects  to  causes,  and  it  would  be  a  perver- 
sion of  their  natures  to  reason  otherwise.  They  are  delighted 
with  those  things  that  are  full  of  spirit  and  animation,  in  which 
the  life  and  soul,  the  desire  and  thought,  and  the  Power  supe- 
rior to  either,  are  easily  discerned  in  the  effect.  Hence  they 
are  fond  of  birds  and  flowers,  and  everything  beautiful,  which 
are  so  full  of  the  spiritual,  that  the  grossness  is  scarcely  per- 
ceptible. For  the  same  reason  these  people  are  shocked  at 
deformity,  which,  as  it  is  the  absence  of  the  spiritual,  is  the 
characteristic  of  grossness.  Beauty,  they  perceive,  is  the  cause, 
and  not  the  effect :  it  moulds  its  opposite  (the  effect)  into  a 
likeness  of  itself,  and  changes  grossness  and  deformity  into 
refinement  and  beauty.  Their  course  is  forward  and  upward, 
from  the  lower  to  the  higher,  "leaving  the  things  that  are 
behind  and  pressing  forward  to  the  things  that  are  before." 
They  set  their  eyes  on  beauty,  and,  progressing  toward  per- 
fection, they  come  nearer  and  nearer  to  it,  and  nearer  to  the 
Final  Cause  to  which  they  tend. 


94 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


CHAPTER   XY. 

"  What  distance  Lave  you  made  ?"  is  equivalent  to  "  What 
progress?"  Lengtli  is  synonymous  with  advancement  —  as 
when  we  say  that  a  goose's  head  is  six  inches  in  advance  of 
his  body.  In  the  neck  of  the  goose  there  is  something  absurd, 
for  the  simple  reason  that  there  is  advancement  without  pro- 
gression. The  organs  of  locomotion  are  unequal  to  the  head- 
way indicated  in  the  neck.     The  man  who  resembles  a  heron 


comprehends  distance;  if  it  were  not  so,  he  could  not  make  a 
successful  coup  d'etat  upon  the  frog  —  a  creature  that  in  meas- 
uring distances  demonstrates  perfectly  that  measurement, 
while  it  is  synonymous  with  distance,  is  synonymous  also  with 
progression.  A  "  strip"  of  something,  a  "  stripling,"  and  "  out- 
stripping" a  deer,  are  ideas  naturally  connected.  When  a 
person  goes  very  swiftly,  he  is  said  to  go  "  like  a  streak,"  and 
a  streak  is  nothing  but  a  straight  line.  In  the  form  of  the 
heron  the  faculty  of  distance  is  indicated  by  chains  and  links. 
You  might  fancy  that  you  could  take  him  to  measure  a  piece 
of  ground  with,  by  both  links  and  paces.  His  length  is  the 
physiognomical  sign  of  progression.     There  is  the  same  con- 


THE    HERON.  95 

nection  between  travelling  and  distance  that  there  is  between 
a  faculty  of  the  mind  and  the  feature  which  indicates  it.  The 
face  is  synonymous  with  the  person  himself,  and  it  is  as  ridic- 
ulous to  deny  the  truth  of  Physiognomy  as  it  is  to  separate 
distance  from  travelling. 

It  is  true  that,  if  we  suppose  a  man's  face  always  to  be  ani- 
mated, we  shall  be  in  danger  of  ascribing  to  him  what  he 
does  not  possess.  There  are  certain  persons,  as  well  as  cer- 
tain beasts  and  birds,  that  are  the  embodiments  of  absurdity 
and  contradiction.  They  oppose  the  plainest  physiognomical 
truths,  and  deny  the  principle  that  the  face  is  an  index  of  the 
mind.  But  we  must  understand  that  they  are  contradictions  ; 
we  must  take  them  for  what  they  are.  Who  is  so  wanting  in 
a  sense  of  the  ludicrous  as  not  to  see  that  the  goose,  in  respect 
to  the  neck,  and  in  respect  to  the  organ  of  intelligence,  which 
is  supposed  to  have  rule  over  the  body,  and  to  control  the 
motion  of  the  feet,  is  decidedly  droll,  queer,  singular — so 
much  so,  that  people  are  inclined  to  laugh  at  the  absurdity 
of  the  thing  ?  We  must  not  look  for  confirmations  of  Physi- 
ognomy in  such  an  animal  until  we  have  observed  that  the 
body,  legs,  and  feet,  belie  the  swiftness  that  is  indicated  in 
the  neck.  He  is  a  bundle  of  contradictions,  and  this  makes 
it  necessary  that  we  should  put  him  into  our  intellectual  cru- 
cible, and  subject  him  to  analysis  and  combination,  and  the 
test  of  reason,  until  we  have  compelled  him  to  speak  the  truth. 

A  neck  of  unusual  length  is  ridiculous,  for  the  simple  reason 
that  it  makes  no  progress  unless  the  body  does.  It  must  be 
confessed,  therefore,  that  in  a  bird  that  is  all  length,  and  at 
the  same  time  destitute  of  animation,  there  is  something  in- 
trinsically absurd  and  supremely  ridiculous.  Supposing  him 
to  be  dead,  even,  we  can  hardly  resist  saying,  "  Get  a-long 
with  you!"  It  is  only  a  less  degree  of  ridiculousness  which 
we  discover  in  him  supposing  him  to  be  standing  stock  still, 
indulging  in  laziness,  or  walking  very  slowly.  Long  legs  that 
do  not  travel  are  of  a  piece  with  the  goose's  neck,  which  looks 
as  if  it  were  formed  to  leave  the  body  an  incalculable  distance 
behind  it.  As  the  person  who  resembles  the  stork  is  sensitive 
to  ridicule,  and  would  avoid  it,  it  be  omes  him  to  engage  in 


96 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


high  and  noble  pursuits.     The  heron  in  the  sky  stretches  him- 
self to  the  utmost.     He  is  like  a  wisp  of  something  whirled 


up  from  the  ocean,  and  projected  through  the  air  like  an  ar- 
row. He  appears  to  outstrip  the  hurricane,  and  is  an  object 
of  sublimity ;  but  inertia  makes  him  more  ridiculous  than  the 
goose.  In  his  proper  character  he  is  bold,  daring,  heroic,  sub- 
lime, delighting  in  the  terrific,  sporting  with  the  elements  in 
their  wildest  mirth.  Letting  himself  down  from  his  true  dig- 
nity, and  becoming  aristocratic,  lazy,  luxurious,  intemperate, 
he  is  a  perfect  coward,  and  in  this  and  every  other  respect 
perfectly  ridiculous. 

The  heron  has  an  instinct  of  what  is  proper  to  him,  and  an 
instinct  of  the  absurd.  Hence  his  long  neck,  which  indicates 
progression,  and  has  no  locomotion  of  its  own,  he  doubles  up 
and  winds  around  like  an  ear-trumpet,  which  he  is  ashamed 
of  having  exhibited  ;  but  when  he  rlies,  he  holds  it  out  like  a 
spear  which  he  is  going  to  thrust  into  the  heart  of  the  wind. 
He  flies  through  the  midst  of  heaven,  his  long  legs  extended 
behind  him;  and  there  is  nothing  ridiculous  in  this  —  for  he 
is  a  swift  messenger,  like  those  divinely  commissioned  to  con- 
vey tidings,  and  to  minister  rebuke  and  happiness  to  man. 

The  ministration  of  those  who  resemble  the  heron,  and  are 
not  perverted,  is  akin  to  the  service  of  those  who  bear  a  noble 


THE   HEROIN". 


97 


resemblance  to  the  deer.  The  one  lias  an  analogy  to  the  mag- 
netic  telegraph,  and  the  other  to  the  railroad.  The  one  is 
from  causes  to  effects,  and  is  hence  a  ministration  of  spiritual 
and  heavenly  things ;  the  other  is  from  effects  to  causes,  and 
is  hence  a  ministration  of  earthly  and  corporeal  things,  such 
as  are  essential  to  the  body.  If  the  former  be  subservient  to 
the  latter,  it  substitutes  cordials,  teas,  and  narcotics,  for  spir- 
itual healing  and  comfort ;  it  perverts  appetite  and  taste,  and 
is  the  cause  of  the  intemperance  in  eating  and  drinking  spo- 
ken of  in  the  chapter  concerning  the  stork.  This  is  charac- 
teristic of  those  who  resemble  the  heron  literally.  But  if  they 
(like  Howard  the  philan- 
thropist, whose  portrait  is 
annexed)  minister  to  oth- 
ers instead  of  themselves, 
they  relieve  the  distresses 
of  the  mind,  remove  the 
causes  of  its  sickness,  dis- 
sipate falsehood,  and  nour- 
ish the  soul  with  truth  ; 
and  so  far  as  is  necessary 
they  minister  to  the  body 
also.  They  can  not  do  the 
one  without  doing  the  oth- 
er. As  body  and  soul  are 
united  and  correspond,  it 
is  absurd  to  divide  the  office  of  physician  into  two. 

TVe  have  observed  that  those  who  resemble  the  heron  have 
a  sense  of  what  is  proper  to  them,  and  consequently  a  sense 
of  the  improper  or  absurd.  Short,  duck-legged  people,  too, 
have  a  sense  of  the  ludicrous  when  they  are  as  Nature  de- 
signed them  to  be.  The  wild  goose  and  duck  double  up  their 
necks  while  standing,  and  thrust  them  out  when  they  are  anx- 
ious to  go  ahead.  The  people  who  resemble  them  are  fond 
of  ridiculing  those  who  resemble  the  heron,  and  then  they 
forget  that  they  are  themselves  ridiculous,  and  most  so  when 
they  hiss  at  those  who  are  above  them,  with  the  idea  of  "  his- 
sing them  dovrnP    They  "  run  out  their  necks"  at  people, 

7 


98  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

but  their  short  legs  have  never  the  office  of  running  ascribed 
to  them.  It  is  as  absurd  for  short  things  to  travel,  as  for  long 
ones  to  stand  still.  This  renders  the  goose  and  the  duck 
doubly  ridiculous.  It  is  the  short  and  long  together  that 
makes  a  person  awkward  and  ungainly ;  and  the  well-propor- 
tioned and  graceful,  like  the  heron  and  the  stork,  if  they  are 
employed  in  useful  undertakings,  can  well  afford  to  be  laughed 
at,  seeing  they  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  attend  to  their  own 
proper  business,  and  allow  jokes  and  laughter  to  fall  back 
upon  the  heads  of  geese  and  ganders ! 


THE    CAMEL.  99 


CHAPTEK   XVI. 

As  between  the  camel  and  the  Arab  there  is  a  likeness  in 
habits  and  pursuits,  in  tastes  and  dispositions,  so  also  there  is 
in  physognomy.  They  live  in  the  desert  because  they  are 
adapted  to  it,  and  they  are  adapted  to  it  because  they  live 
there.  Adaptation  or  accommodation  is  one  of  the  essentials 
of  hospitality.  The  camel  accommodates  himself  to  all  sorts 
of  inconveniences  for  the  convenience  of  others,  and  the  power 
of  adaptation  in  the  Arab  is  equally  wonderful.  His  highest 
expectation  is  to  render  his  own  condition  tolerable ;  and  as 
this  is  the  consequence  and  means  of  promoting  the  comfort 
of  others,  the  Arab  is  an  example  of  genuine  hospitality.  The 
conveniences  of  the  camel  depend  entirely  on  accommodating 
himself  to  ^conveniences.  Look  at  his  feet  and  legs :  what 
accommodating  members !  Was  there  ever  such  a  commo- 
dious hump,  or  such  an  accommodating  stomach  ?  Yet  is  his 
temperament  choleric,  or  hot  and  dry,  like  the  burning  desert 
he  inhabits,  and  to  which  he  is  so  wonderfully  adapted.  The 
temperament  of  the  Arab  is  the  same.  The  kneeling  of  the 
camel,  to  receive  his  burden  and  to  set  it  down  again,  is,  fig- 
uratively speaking,  for  the  sake  of  an  oasis  in  the  desert,  and 
the  hospitality  of  the  Arab  is  for  the  sake  of  another  and  more 
beautiful  one. 

The  camel  and  the  Arab  carry  their  heads  erect  and  high. 
Their  sight  and  hearing  are  wonderfully  acute.  Their  faces 
are  thin,  and  their  bodies  are  always  lean.  Their  eyes  are 
sunken,  and  the  brows  projecting.  They  have  high  cheek- 
bones, Roman  noses,  straight  hair,  and  countenances  of  un- 
common gravity.  But  there  are  shades  of  expression  and  fea- 
ture that  constitute  the  more  particular  resemblance  between 
them,  as  is  evident  on  comparing  their  likenesses. 


100  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

Looking  at  the  face  of  a  camel,  one  would  suppose  that  the 

person  who  resembled  him  would  never  smile  ;  and  the  Arab, 

instead  of  smiling  when  he  greets  a 

friend,  looks  grave  and  solemn.    There 


is  something  in  the  attitude  and  appearance  of  the  camel  that 
reminds  us  of  the  Arab  salutation  —  placing  the  right  hand 
on  the  breast  and  then  on  the  forehead,  and  saying,  "  Peace 
be  with  you !"  As  the  camel's  foot  is  formed  to  press  the 
sand,  we  should  suppose  that  those  who  resembled  him  might 
find  it  more  natural  to  press  each  other's  palms  (the  right  of 
one  being  adapted  to  the  left  of  the  other),  than  to  clasp  and 
shake  hands  in  the  ordinary  way  ;  and  it  is  true  that  the  Arabs 
do  so.  In  the  manner  of  the  camel's  eating,  and  chewing  the 
cud,  there  is  something  exceedingly  slovenly  and  disagreea- 
ble, and  the  Arab's  cooking  and  eating  are  of  the  same  char- 
acter. The  mutton  which  he  serves  up  is  sure  to  have  a 
plenty  of  wool  in  it ;  and  his  butter,  being  churned  in  goat- 
skin bags,  the  hair  of  which  is  inside,  contains  a  profusion  of 
hairs.  These  extraneous  substances  the  Arab  does  not  object 
to,  for  if  a  person  resembles  the  camel,  and  finds  his  subsist- 
ence in  the  desert,  it  will  not  do  for  him  to  be  particular. 
Whatever  provision  is  offered  to  him,  the  Desert  says,  "  This 
or  none !"  He  eats  but  two  meals  a  day,  though  much  at  a 
time,  and,  like  the  camel,  is  capable  of  going  several  days 
without  food  or  drink.  He  is  dexterous  though  rather  un- 
graceful in  his  movements,  and  trains  his  children  to  hard- 
ships as  he  does  his  camels. 

It  is  adaptation  to  the  worst  of  situations,  or  to  Mature  in 
her  most  hideous  forms,  that  renders  the  camel  ugly  and  un- 


THE    CAMEL. 


101 


comfortable.  "Who  has  not  observed  the  ugliness  in  his  dis- 
position as  well  as  in  his  looks  ?  and  in  what  animal  is  there 
such  an  air  of  discom- 
fort as  in  him  ?  Yet, 
as  a  compensation  for 
this,  there  is  in  this 
ugliness  something 
good  ;  in  human  be- 
ings there  is  kindness 
and  an  obliging  turn, 
willingness,  self-deni- 
al, and  whatever  is 
included  in  that  no- 
ble virtue,  hospitali- 
ty. Homely  people 
have  a  home  for  all, 
and  none  for  them- 
selves ;  but  it  is  well  to  remember  that  this  goodness  holds  in 
check  a  vast  amount  of  ugliness,  which  may  at  some  time 

gain  the  advantage.  Socra- 
tes acknowledged  this  fact 
with  regard  to  himself,  and 
the  magnanimity  of  the  con- 
fession was  a  part  of  that  self- 
denial  and  accommodation  to 
hardship  which  was  a  cause 
of  his  ugliness.  The  man  to 
whom  Nature  is  a  harsh  and 
capricious  mother,  grows  up 
ugly  and  deformed  ;  but  if 
he  have  learned  to  love  her,  it  is  a  sign  that  she  has  instilled 
good  into  him,  and  he  resembles  her  more  and  more.  There 
is  grandeur  and  sublimit}7  in  the  rugged  virtues  that  he  is 
compelled  to  practise,  but  vastly  more  in  the  rugged  morality 
that  is  based  on  those,  and  that  is  as  free  and  independent  as 
those  are  compulsory.  But  the  man  to  whom  Nature  is  provi- 
dent and  tender,  grows  up  handsome,  and  the  more  he  sym- 
pathizes with  charming  objects  the  more  beautiful  he  becomes. 


102 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


Yet  beauty  without  sublimity  has  "  a  worm  i'  the  bud  ;"  it  is 
fading  and  ephemeral;  it  relapses  into  effeminacy,  and  de- 
generates finally  into  ugliness,  like  that  of  swamps,  in  which 
the  animals  are  not  homely,  but  monstrous.  The  Arab  who 
inhabits  the  delta  of  the  Nile  is  the  very  opposite  of  hospita- 
ble, for  he  requires  a  certain  amount  of  accommodation,  and 
he  imposes  it  upon  Nature,  since  Nature  does  not  impose  it 
upon  him. 

The  ugliness  of  the  camel  and  the  Arab  in  the  deserts  has 
a  tendency  to  be  of  the  very  noblest  kind.  It  contains  the 
element  of  self-denial,  or  of  virtue,  as  before  observed,  and 
this  encloses  an  image  of  the  most  exquisite  beauty  —  an  ob- 
ject of  reverence,  of  devotion,  of  self-sacrifice.  Homely  hos- 
pitality entertains  a  heavenly  visitant,  an  embodied  perfection, 

in  every  stranger,  regarding 
him  with  the  same  defer- 
ence, and  administering  to 
his  comfort  and  happiness, 
as  if  it  would  make  up  for 
the  heavenly  felicities  which 
he  is  supposed  to  have  been 
accustomed  to.  Thus  the 
homeliest  people  have  the 
most  intense  admiration  and 
devotion  to  the  beautiful,  as 
was  the  case  with  Socrates ; 
and  the  beautiful  in  return 
have  grateful  love  and  exalted  reverence  for  the  homely. 
Thus,  too,  the  homeliest  animal  and  the  most  beautiful  (the 
camel  and  the  horse),  the  most  perfect  specimens  in  their  way, 
live  together  in  Arabia.  The  horse  is  the  embodiment  of  the 
choleric  temperament  (which  makes  him  high-spirited  and 
noble),  without  the  habit  of  accommodation  to  deform  him. 
The  camel  and  the  Arab  are  accommodated  to  Mm,  and  the 
desert  air  is  the  most  congenial  to  his  temperament :  hence 
in  Arabia  are  produced  the  finest  horses  in  the  world.  The 
barb  is  the  Arab's  guest,  his  especial  favorite,  and  a  better 
entertainment  than  is  afforded  by  his  honest  keeper  he  could 


THE   CAMEL.  103 

not  have.  People  who  resemble  horses  find  homely  persons 
to  be  their  most  indulgent,  faithful,  enthusiastic,  and  devoted 
friends. 

The  countenance  of  a  stranger  is  to  the  Arab  what  an  oasis 
is  to  the  desert.  That  countenance  will  smile  if  hospitality 
can  make  it,  but  the  Arab's  never,  till  the  desert  shall  bud 
and  blossom  as  the  rose.  The  green  spot  owes  the  perfection 
of  its  beauty  to  the  desolation  that  surrounds  it,  but  from  this 
the  desert  is  to  be  clothed  ;  and  in  like  manner  the  beautiful 
have  a  mission  to  the  ugly,  and  there  is  given  to  the  latter  the 
disposition  to  entertain  them,  and  to  emulate  their  graces  by 
preserving  and  heightening  their  charms.  The  stranger  is 
indebted  to  the  Arab,  not  for  hospitality  merely,  but  for  the 
blessings  that  are  intended  for  all,  and  of  which  he  is  made 
the  dispenser.  This  the  Arab  feels,  and  by  feeling  knows. 
When  the  Bedouins  have  committed  a  robbery,  they  say  of 
the  plunder,  that  they  "  have  gained  it ;"  and  when  reproved 
for  the  depredation,  they  reply  that  they  "  are  Arabs."  They 
do  not  take  the  life  of  the  stranger  when  they  rob  him,  but 
claim  relationship,  saying,  "Undress  thyself — thine  aunt  is 
without  a  garment."  This  is  what  the  Desert  would  say  to 
the  Oasis,  if  it  had  a  tongue,  and  it  is  the  language  of  the 
ugly  to  the  beautiful. 

The  plundering  disposition  of  the  Arab  is  compatible  with 
the  excess  of  their  hospitality.  When  they  have  pitched  their 
tents,  the  individual  is  fortunate  who  first  discovers  a  stranger 
approaching  the  encampment,  for  he  is  allowed  to  claim  him 
as  his  guest ;  and  to  tell  an  Arab  that  he  does  not  treat  his 
guests  well,  is  deemed  one  of  the  greatest  of  insults. 

If  the  Arab  resembles  the  desert,  he  resembles  the  camel 
still  more.  He  enters  into  the  feelings  of  his  companion,  and 
enlivens  him  with  a  chant,  that  is  said  to  make  him  travel 
more  easily.  There  is  something  in  the  appearance  of  a  camel 
that  reminds  one  of  an  old  astrologer :  he  looks  as  if  he  were 
eying  the  stars.  The  Arabs  consult  the  stars  on  all  occasions 
of  importance,  particularly  in  reference  to  their  undertakings 
and  hold  astrology  in  high  honor.  The  camel  looks  as  if  he 
were  born  to  do  penance,  and  as  if  the  sum  of  the  penalties 


104:  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

which  he  had  to  endure  was  to  press  the  burning  sands  with 
Ills  naked  feet,  which  are  thereby  rendered  insensible  to  the 
infliction.  The  penalty  which  the  Arab  suffers  is  that  of  blows 
upon  the  soles  of  his  feet ;  he  is  bastinadoed  to  expiate  his 
crimes.  A  traveller  says  of  a  case  which  he  witnessed  in 
Cairo,  that  the  Arab,  after  receiving  the  punishment  by  the 
order  of  the  governor,  was  unable  to  stand,  and  groaning  with 
pain  was  borne  out  by  his  friends ;  and  that  "  the  governor, 
in  the  meantime,  stood  as  though  hardened  to  such  transac- 
tions, munching  his  jaws  like  a  sheep  chewing  the  cud."  We 
imagine  that  it  was  like  a  sheep,  only  excessively  so  —  that 
is,  like  a  camel. 


THE   VULTURE.  105 


CHAPTEE   XVII. 

"We  have  been  thinking  of  the  cowardice  of  a  certain  va- 
riety of  the  carnivorous  appetite  —  that  which  waits  till  assured 
of  the  death  of  an  animal,  by  the  putridity  of  its  carcass.  Say, 
if  you  will,  that  the  crow,  the  raven,  the  vulture,  and  the  turkey- 
buzzard,  live  on  carrion  because  they  prefer  it  to  fresh  meat 
— still  we  maintain  that  the  appetite  for  substances  in  a  state 
of  decomposition  is  promoted  by  cowardice  ;  and  it  is  equally 
true,  we  believe,  that  cowardice  is  increased  by  these  sub- 
stances. The  proof  of  this  is  in  the  fact  that  all  animals  that 
live  on  carrion  are  cowardly,  and  that  all  cowardly  animals 
have  something  to  do  with  carrion.  This  statement  will,  of 
course,  need  considerable  explanation.  There  is  no  coward 
who  is  not  cruel.  The  benevolent  individual,  who  would  not 
harm  a  fly,  does  not  prove  himself  a  coward  by  refusing  to 
accept  a  challenge ;  but  the  ruffianly  fellow,  who  pleads  that 
it  is  against  his  principles  to  fight,  does  not  inspire  us  with 
such  full  confidence  in  his  bravery.  You  can  never  say  of 
the  person  who  "  would  not  hurt  a  hair  of  your  head,"  that  he 
is  a  coward.  The  harmless,  inoffensive,  vegetable-eating  ani- 
mals, are  not  cowards,  for  the  simple  reason  that  they  are  not 
cruel ;  but  the  carnivorous  are  so,  in  the  degree  that  they 
ought  to  he  courageous  and  are  not.  A  timid  hare  will  scare 
away  a  class  of  birds  that  have  a  scurrilous  resemblance  to 
hawks  and  owls ;  but  as  soon  as  he  is  poor,  or  sick,  or  lame, 
he  will  have  the  crows  after  him,  with  the  whole  posse  of 
cowardly  gluttons  that  spend  their  lives  "  waiting  for  dead 
men's  shoes." 

The  caravans  in  the  desert,  it  is  said,  are  followed  by  vul- 
tures—  signs  in  the  heavens  of  the  cruelty  of  human  beings 
to  the  animals  that  serve  them !     The  vulture  resembles  the 


106 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


camel,  as  may  be  seen  by  a  comparison  of  their  forms  ;  and 
the  Arab  who  is  not  merciful  to  his  beast  resembles  the  former 

more  than  the  latter.  He  wishes  his 
overburdened  camel  to  fly  like  the 
wind  (as  certain  persons  do  their 
horses  when  they  drive  them),  and 
the  consequence  is,  the  poor  animal 
is  soon  an  object  of  expectation  to 
the  greedy  vultures.  The  cowardly 
wretch  who  treats  his  horse  or  his 
camel  thus  can  not  bear  to  be  looked 
at  by  the  animal  he  abuses ;  the  eye 
that  he  deprives  of  brightness  he  can 


not  meet ;  he  never  saw  any  beauty  in  it,  that  he  should  ad- 
mire it ;  and  when  it  appeals  imploringly  to  heaven,  with  an 
eloquence  that  touches  the  hearts  of  the  tender,  and  makes 
them  almost  curse  the  cruel  master,  he  walks  by  it  at  a  dis- 
tance, or  hastily  pulls  the  blind  over  it,  lest  he  should  discover 
a  feeling  of  pity  and  remorse  in  the  heart  of  even  so  base  a 
wretch  as  himself. 

From  a  similar  prompting,  the  dastardly  vultures,  when  the 
eyes  of  the  camel  are  turned  upward  (as  they  always  are,  to 
see  what  they  are  about),  shrink  away  into  the  depths  of  air. 
They  can  not  endure  to  be  looked  at  by  the  innocent  ones  to 
whom  they  meditate  injury.  Like  the  ruffian,  the  vulture 
seeks  to  extinguish  himself:  he  shrinks  into  nothingness,  and 


THE   YULTUEE.  107 

is  neither  seen  nor  beard  of  till  those  eyes  that  he  dreads  have 
lost  their  fire  —  when  suddenly  he  descends  and  plucks  them 
out,  and  riots  upon  the  carcass. 

Constant  apprehension  of  the  motives  of  others — how  cow- 
ardly !  evil  surmises  against  characters  —  how  cruel !  This  is 
the  action  of  Suspicion,  and  is  nourished  by  fermented  food 
and  drink.  The  very  minds  of  persons  who  have  these  tastes 
and  dispositions  are  in  a  constant  ferment.  If  they  were  not 
afraid  of  people,  they  would  not  whisper  suspicions  about 
them,  and  would  not  tear  out  the  eyes  of  the  dead.  It  is  not 
one  of  these  who  can  say  — 

"I've  not  a  vulture's  bill, 


To  pick  at  all  the  faults  I  see, 
And  make  them  wider  still !" 

The  person  who  confides  in  others  trusts  in  God,  and  is  not 
afraid.  He  can  not  be  cruel  to  those  he  confides  in,  nor  sus- 
picious of  those  he  loves ;  and  that  he  chooses  to  trust  man- 
kind, is  proof  that  he  loves  them. 

All  animals,  be  it  observed,  that  are  fond  of  carrion,  are 
remarkable  for  suspicion :  they  are  apprehensive  of  danger 
constantly.  When  a  creature  is  dead,  the  crows  pounce  upon 
him  ;  they  tear  him  to  pieces  with  savage  ferocity,  exulting  in 
the  triumph  over  an  animal  greater  than  themselves,  as  if  the 
"King  of  Terrors"  had  nothing  to  do  with  it!  But  they  are 
cowards  :  engrossed  as  they  are  in  their  riotous  feast,  you  can 
not  get  within  gun-shot  of  them  ;  and  there  is  not  one  of  them 
that  has  courage  enough  to  defend  himself  against  the  king- 
fisher, or  the  other  small  birds  that  give  him  chase.  He  is 
put  to  flight  by  a  scarecrow :  what  could  be  more  contempti- 
bly cowardly  than  that  ? 

People  who  ascribe  wrath  to  the  Almighty,  and  endeavor 
to  escape  it  by  denouncing  it  against  others,  are  both  cow- 
ardly and  cruel.  They  are  in  constant  terror  of  others,  for 
they  judge  others  by  themselves ;  and  as  they  suffer  from 
fear,  they  try  to  make  others  afraid  of  them,.  It  is  well  that 
they  should  be  governed  by  an  appearance  of  anger,  in  storms 
and  tempests,  in  famines  and  earthquakes,  in  diseases  and 


108  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

deaths,  for  they  can  be  governed  in  this  way  and  in  no  other. 
They  make  a  virtue  of  their  dread,  confounding  it  with  rever- 
ence, and  offering  it  as  a  claim  to  favor.  They  revenge  on 
man  their  fear  of  the  Deity,  in  tortures  innumerable,  and  of 
every  conceivable  variety.  They  wish  to  be  feared,  to  be 
worshipped  with  awe  and  trembling.  They  claim  the  blood 
of  a  thousand  victims  to  gratify  their  cruelty,  and  to  increase 
the  terror  of  the  multitude,  which  is  to  them  the  most  accept- 
able worship.  They  wish  to  impress  upon  others  that  they 
have  power  supreme,  and  that  life  and  death  are  at  their  dis- 
posal. 

We  have  said  that  there  is  a  connection  between  the  appe- 
tite for  fermented  food  and  drinks  and  the  faculty  of  suspi- 
cion. The  latter  is  excited  to  an  intense  and  morbid  decree 
by  drunkenness  ;  for  all  spirituous  liquors  are  the  result  of  fer- 
mentation. The  appetite  for  intoxicating  drink  is  provoked 
by  cowardly  apprehension.  Some  people  take  it  before  mount- 
ing the  rostrum,  to  give  them  courage  —  not  because  they  are 
modest,  but  because  they  are  cowardly.  Some  take  it  to 
strengthen  "  faint  heart,"  which  "  never  won  fair  lady,"  and 
to  grow  mad,  that  they  may  be  admired  for  their  bravery. 
Some  take  it  to  make  them  soldiers,  when  it  is  safer  to  go  for- 
ward than  to  run.  Some  take  it  to  enable  them  to  go  through 
with  their  labors  —  not  because  they  are  industrious,  but  be- 
cause they  are  lazy,  and  Necessity  tells  them  that  it  "  must 
be  done."  Some  take  it  to  drive  away  "the  blues,"  to  drown 
care,  and  to  stupify  sensibility,  because  they  have  not  the 
courage  to  face  adversity,  and  do  not  dare  to  suffer.  But 
never  does  this  yielding  to  fear  give  preponderance  to  cour- 
age :  it  excites  madness,  wrhich  is  another  name  for  cruelty, 
and  the  mere  mockery  of  the  courage  that  is  wanting ;  and 
always  does  the  appetite  for  fermented  things  increase  the 
power  of  that  very  passion  of  which  it  is  the  slave. 

The  inebriate  lives  in  the  very  atmosphere  that  engenders 
suspicion  —  the  putridity  of  his  own  breath  —  in  which  the 
blow-fly,  the  crow,  and  the  hog,  with  all  their  cowardly  ap- 
prehensions, might  be  deluded  into  the  idea  of  safety,  as  in 
the  presence  of  something  dead.     In  such  a  charnel-house, 


THE   VULTURE. 


109 


how  could  it  be  otherwise  than  that  he  should  have  "  the  hor- 
rors" ?  Suspicion,  Cowardice,  and  the  appetite  for  fermented 
food  and  drink,  excite  each  other  more  and  more.  The  con- 
summation is  a  tragic  scene,  in  which  each  plays  a  conspicu- 
ous part,  with  Cruelty  at  their  head  :  the  title  of  the  tragedy 
is,  "  Delirium  Tremens." 

All  madness  is  cowardice  and  cruelty  combined,  as  exhib- 
ited in  the  insane,  and  in  the  history  of  the  drunkard  from 
beginning  to  end.  Who  does  not  know  of  the  cruelties  in- 
flicted upon  wives  and  children,  and  the  destruction  of  every 
tender  and  merciful  feeling  in  the  human  heart,  by  an  indul- 
gence of  the  appetite  of  which  we  are  speaking? 

There  is  something  natu- 
ral in  the  fondness  of  the 
analytical  Frenchman  for 
substances  in  a  state  of  de- 
composition. As  he  is  al- 
ways in  the  process  of  fer- 
mentation and  ebullition, 
it  is  appropriate  that  he 
should  make  external  mat- 
ters and  things  correspond, 
and  that  he  should  have  an 
appetite  for  tainted  meat, 
and  a  taste  for  wine :  and 
if  we  have  a  correct  ver- 
sion of  his  history,  he  has 
proved  himself  suspicious,  cowardly,  and  cruel.  We  see  a 
strong  resemblance  to  the  vulture  in  the  preceding  portrait, 

Marat,  who,  on  suspicion 
only,  and  because  he  was 
excessively  cowardly  and 
cruel,  caused  multitudes 
of  his  countrymen  to  be 
arrested,  imprisoned,  and 
guillotined.  His  ambi- 
tion was  to  become  a  ter- 
ror, and  to  inspire  cowards  with  awe  —  the  only  reverence 


110  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

they  are  capable  of — and  to  be  thought  powerful  and  brave 
in  proportion  as  he  was  faint-hearted  and  cowardly.  The 
countenance  of  Robespierre  is  that  of  a  scavenger,  full  of  ap- 
prehension, meanness,  and  cruelty ;  it  resembles  that  of  the 
young  gentleman  accompanied  by  the  vulture,  at  the  begin- 
ning of  this  chapter.  The  dog  that  loves  carrion,  and  smells 
of  it,  is  always  wanting  in  pluck ;  and,  to  make  up  for  the  de- 
ficiency, he  lives  on  garbage,  and  seizes  the  things  that  he 
will  be  thanked  for  devouring.  A  resemblance  to  such  an 
animal,  as  well  as  to  the  vulture,  is  seen  in  Robespierre ;  and 
a  resemblance  to  this  or  any  other  of  the  variety  of  scavengers, 
fits  a  man  to  be  a  rag-picker,  rather  than  a  president  or  a  king. 
There  is  such  impudence  in  human  nature,  or  rather  in  the 
want  of  it,  that  people  of  the  character  we  have  been  descri- 
bing pride  themselves  upon  their  suspicion,  as  if  this  were  the 
evidence  of  superior  penetration  and  wisdom.  The  want  of 
confidence  in  others  which  arises  from  fear,  is  self-confidence, 
and  this  is  pride.  It  is  cowardly  to  have  no  faith  in  the  future 
and  in  things  unseen,  and  to  shrink  back  into  the  past  as  the 
only  reality,  and  thus  to  remain  infants.  It  was  the  "reign 
of  terror"  when  France  wras  a  nation  of  infidels ;  but  what 
they  are  now,  and  what  governs  them,  we  do  not  say,  except 
that  they  are  as  fond  of  baubles  as  children  are : — 

"  Fantastic,  frolicsome,  and  wild, 
With  all  the  trinkets  of  a  child." 

It  is  as  cruel  as  it  is  cowardly  to  doubt  a  future  existence,  to 
rely  only  upon  the  past,  and  to  believe  only  in  reason  and  the 
evidence  of  the  senses  ;  for  it  seeks  to  destroy  —  it  aims  at  an- 
nihilation. The  French  are  like  the  frog  in  the  well,  that 
jumped  three  feet  forward  every  day,  and  fell  back  two  every 
night;  for  when  they  have  been  stimulated  to  take  a  step  for- 
ward, they  wish  instantly  to  return  to  the  past.  The  reason 
is  this :  the  stimulus  that  urges  them  forward  is  that  which 
excites  cruelty  and  madness  —  the  remedy  which  is  sought  by 
Fear  to  soothe  its  sufferings,  and  by  Skepticism  to  exalt  its 
pride. 


THE   OX. 


Ill 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

There  are  vulgar  people  who  are  fond  of  tracing  in  the  hu- 
man face  a  likeness  to  the  "  calf,"  as  we  should  infer  from 
their  frequent  application  of  this  epithet  to  juveniles  of  their 
own  species.  We  would  inquire  of  them  if  this  individual 
looks  as  if  he  had  been  reared 
on  milk,  and  were  now  going 
in  search  of  some  ?  If  this  be 
so,  it  is  proper  that  the  heir 
should  be  after  him,  though 
following  like  an  humble  pe- 
titioner who  despairs  of  establishing  his  lawful  claim.  The 
preceding  is  a  handsome  young  man,  and  evidently  English ; 
and  the  English,  without  distinction  of  age  or  sex,  are  known 
by  the  general  appellation  of  "  John  Bull."  But  in  this  young 
gentleman,  whose  chin  indicates  a  greater  degree  of  precocity 
than  his  mouth  and  eyes,  no  person  who  has  sat  at  the  domes- 
tic board,  where  "  calves'  brains"  are  served  up,  can  fail  to  be 
interested.  There  is  delicacy  in  the  expression  of  his  face, 
along  with  an  obtrusive  bluntness.  The  degree  of  obtuseness 
in  the  features  indicates  just  that  degree  of  obtuseness  in  the 
intellect  that  entitles  the  possessor  to  the  allegorical  title  that 
is  applied  to  him.  He  owes  nothing  to  instinct,  and  knows 
nothing  at  all  until  experience  has  taught  him.  He  is  like  a 
calf  in  the  hlindness  of  the  little  instinct  that  Nature  has  given 
him ;  or  in  being  subjected  to  the  spontaneous  action  of  his 
feelings  and  desires  in  a  manner  that  causes  him  to  act  ridic- 
ulously. He  is  loud  in  his  demands :  when  he  wants  any- 
thing, he  shows  that  he  can  not  be  denied  ;  and  as  to  denying 
himself,  that  is  entirely  out  of  the  question.  He  can  not  even 
wait ;  he  will  knock  his  brains  out  if  what  he  calls  for  does 


112 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


not  come  speedily.  The  reason  is,  lie  is  deficient  in  instinct, 
and  in  the  faculty  of  self-control ;  and  his  large  submission 
yields  to  the  sway  of  his  intense  desires,  instead  of  yielding 
to  the  government  of  others.  His  wants  are  of  the  nature  of 
necessities,  and  therefore  it  is  that  they  govern  him,  and  gov- 
ern his  parents  also.  He  is  called  self-willed,  when  the  truth 
is  his  passions  rule  him,  and  he  is  perfectly  submissive.  But 
there  is  a  sterner  necessity  than  desire,  and  to  this  he  must 
come  at  last.  It  is  punishment!  —  oh,  horrible  !  —  yes,  pun- 
ishment will  make  him  submissive  to  the  yoke.  Better  late 
than  never.  Reader,  if  you  doubt  of  this  being  an  exact  de- 
scription of  young  Englishmen,  observe  for  yourself,  and  you 
will  be  satisfied  that  we  are  right. 

Let  us  now  take  a  glance  at  the  parents  —  the  John  Bulls. 
Here  is  the  face  of  an  Englishwoman,  and  it  is  seen  how 


much  she  resembles  the  cow ;  annexed  is  a  portrait  of  Hume, 
and  we  see  how  much  he  resembles  the  male  animal.  Who 
can  not  discover  by  this  countenance  that  the  mind  ruminates  ? 
You  can  almost  see  the  regurgitation,  and  the  process  of  pre- 
paring the  food  for  more  thorough  digestion.  Whoever  sits 
down  to  the  perusal  of  his  pages  will  rise  up  edified  and  pre- 
pared to  labor.  To  the  traits  first  mentioned,  which  exist  in 
the  mature  Englishman  as  well  as  in  the  youngster,  may  be 


THE   OX. 


113 


added  these :  large  economy  (you  see  it  in  the  double  chin, 
and  it  is  large  in  historians) ;  great  strength  (you  see  it  in  the 
obtuseness  of  the  fea- 
tures, and  of  all  the 
members  of  the  body) ; 
and  large  love  of  en- 
joyment (you  see  it  in 
the  lateral  projection 
of  the  outer  corner  of 
the  ridge  of  the  eye- 
brow). The  English 
are  remarkably  econo- 
mical in  domestic  af- 
fairs;  they  are  content 
with  small  profits,  for 
they  husband  every- 
thing; and  in  political  economy,  circumstances  considered, 
they  are  superior  to  all  others.  They  can  show  larger  double 
chins,  more  resemblance  to  the  cow  and  the  ox,  better  hus- 
bandry, and  more  economy  in  every  respect,  than  any  other 
nation.  They  are  also  strong  and  powerful,  like  the  ox.  This 
is  indicated  by  a  certain  obtuseness  of  features  that  is  a  me- 
dium between  grossness  and  effeminacy.  They  are  the  very 
opposite  in  this  respect  of  those  who  resemble  the  horse.  Re- 
finement takes  away  from  that  unity  which  is  the  foundation  of 
strength.  All  the  refinement  which  the  Englishman  can  receive 
will  not  make  him  effeminate.  Such  is  not  the  case  with  the 
Italians,  who,  as  will  be  shown  in  the  next  chapter,  resemble 
horses ;  they  have  never  yet  recovered  from  the  effeminacy 
which  was  induced  by  the  civilization  and  refinement  of  their 
ancestors.  The  vigor  and  grasp  of  intellect  which  characterize 
the  English  are  like  the  strength  of  the  ox  when  he  exercises 
it  in  draught,  or  in  pushing  with  the  horn. 

But  though  the  obtuseness  in  the  features  of  the  English, 
and  the  refinement  in  those  of  the  Italians,  indicate  opposition 
in  character,  this  opposition  is  like  that  which  prevails  in  mu- 
sic—  it  is  the  opposition  necessary  to  harmony:  and  there  is, 
in  reality,  a  remarkable  affinity  between  the  English  and  the 

8 


114:  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

Italians.  There  is  also  an  intimate  relation  between  the  horse 
and  the  cow :  the  latter  steals  from  the  former,  and  values 
and  saves  what  the  former  throws  away.  The  interests  of  the 
one  harmonize  with  the  interests  of  the  other,  but  they  do  not 
therefore  like  each  other  over  and  above  well,  and  it  would 
be  a  perfect  absurdity  to  harness  them  together ! 

The  love  of  enjoyment  is  another  thing  in  which  the  Eng- 
lish prove  their  right  to  the  appellation  of  John  Bull.  It  is 
this  which  gives  them  the  air  of  quietude  so  like  the  cow. 
They  are  indebted  to  this  for  the  principal  share  of  the  gentle- 
ness and  gentility  that  they  are  possessed  of.  It  is  this  which 
is  so  pleasing  in  the  Englishwomen,  and  which  constitutes 
their  principal  charm ;  they  are  pictures  of  serenity  and  do- 
mestic comfort.  In  the  love  of  enjoyment  there  is  the  taste 
for  whatever  is  exquisite  —  as  the  flavor  of  fruit,  the  fragrance 
of  flowers,  the  softest  tones  of  music,  like  those  of  the  iEolian 
harp,  the  most  delicate  tints,  like  those  of  the  rainbow,  <kc. 
Everything  beautiful  in  the  English  character  is  connected 
with  this ;  and  everything  delightful  in  their  works  of  art,  in 
their  literature,  in  their  institutions,  and  in  their  homes,  may 
be  referred  to  it.  It  places  them  in  a  beautiful  relation  to 
the  Italians,  as  it  places  the  cow  in  a  beautiful  relation  to  the 
horse. 

If  the  young  Englishman  presented  at  the  beginning  of  this 
chapter  was  reared  on  milk,  on  the  opposite  page  is  certainly 
a  specimen  that  is  fed  on  beef.  You  have  only  to  deprive 
the  Englishman  of  the  exquisite  love  of  enjoyment  above  re- 
ferred to,  and  the  roughness,  obtuseness,  vast  strength,  and 
want  of  refinement  of  both  the  moral  and  intellectual  percep- 
tions, stand  forth  bold  and  prominent.  The  "  mad  bulls"  of 
England  are  famous  the  world  over,  and  they  are  the  personi- 
fications of  a  certain  class  of  Englishmen ;  but  the  one  we 
have  here  is  not  mad.  He  may  be  an  Italian  converted  into 
a  Briton  —  a  horse  into  an  ox  :  he  is  simply  gross,  sensual,  im- 
perious, domineering,  heavy  and  strong,  stolid  and  obtuse, 
ungracious  and  wanting  in  sense  of  propriety !  He  answers 
very  well  to  one  of  the  varieties  of  Englishmen  as  given  by 
Spenser : — 


TOE    OX. 


115 


11  The  miller  was  a  stout  carl,  deep  of  tones, 
Right  large  he  was  of  brawn,  and  eke  of  bones ; 
With  shoulders  broad  and  short  —  a  knob  or  gnarr  — 
There  was  no  door  but  he'd  heave  up  the  bar, 
Or  break,  by  running  at  it  with  his  head  ; 
His  beard,  as  any  sow  or  fox,  was  red  !" 

The  ox  is  the  very  personification  of  repulsiveness,  indi- 
cated in  the  size  and  strength  of  the  spinal  marrow,  and  by 
the  extraordinary  strength  imparted  to  the  muscles  of  the 
back.  Emerson  says  of  the  Englishman,  that  "  the  axis  of 
his  eyes  is  united  to  his  back-bone."  We  understand  by  this 
that  he  is  quick  to  see  whatever  he  does  not  like,  that  his  eyes 
are  the  sentinels  of  his  repulsiveness,  and  that  with  repulsive- 
ness he  guards  his  eyes.  The  same  shrewd  observer  says : 
"The  Englishman  is  remarkable  for  his  pluck.  He  shows 
you  that  he  means  to  have  his  rights  respected.  He  knows 
just  what  he  wants,  and  he  means  to  have  it.  He  is  sure  to  let 
it  be  known  if  he  is  not  served  to  his  mind.  Still  he  is  not 
quarrelsome.  Among  the  twelve  hundred  young  men  at  Ox- 
ford a  duel  was  never  known  to  take  place.  His  self-posses- 
sion is  not  pugnacity;  he  does  not  wish  to  injure  others  — 
he  is  thinking  only  of  himself!"  This  is  a  description  to  the 
very  life.  Even  the  mad  bull  has  no  animosity,  or  desire  to 
injure  anybody :  he  only  wishes  to  gratify  his  headlong  dis- 
position, the  instinct  of  which  is  in  his  horns. 


116 


COMPARATIVE    PIIYSIOGXOMY. 


It  is  the  Englishman's  title  to 
makes  him  so  fond  of  beef,  and 


skin  and  wrinkles  of  the  neck  and 
dignitv  and  old  age;  the  length 
of  the  back-bone ;  the  long 
tail,  with  the  tuft  at  the  end 
of  it ;  the  brawny  extremities 
and  the  matchless  strength ; 
the  extraordinary  size  and 
thickness  of  the  neck;  and, 
in  the  bison,  which  is  a  kind 
of  ox,  the  shaggy  mane  which 
covers  it  —  all  proclaim  the 
right  of  the  English  to  ideal- 
ize their  national  symbol  into 
a  lion — especially  as  John 
Bull  himself,  who  is  the  person 
carnivorous. 

The  liking  of  the  English  foi 
the  flesh  of  these  animals,  and 
themselves,  may  be  illustrated 


the  epithet  of  John  Bull  that 
the  influence  of  this  kind  of 
food  upon  him  increases 
the  resemblance.  He 
wishes  his  national  char- 
acter to  be  that  of  a  car- 
nivorous ox ;  and  hence 
the  badge  of  his  nation- 
ality,  which  he  chooses 
above  all  others,  is  &li 
And  the  resemblance  be- 
tween the  ball  and  the 
lion  is  very  striking.  The 
broad,  deep,  and  power- 
ful chest;  the  deep,  re- 
verberating sounds  that 
swell  from  it ;  the  grave 
and  noble  aspect  of  the 
countenance  ;  the  loose 
face,  giving  the  appearance  of 
of  the  body,  and  the  strength 


intended  to  be  represented,  is 

horned  cattle,  their  liking  for 
their  likeness  to  the  animals 
by  the  following  description, 


THE    OX.  117 

drawn  by  Dickens  :  "  The  blessings  of  Smithfield  are  too  well 
understood  to  need  recapitulation ;  all  who  run  (away  from  mad 
bulls  and  pursuing  oxen)  may  read.  Any  market-day  they 
may  be  beheld  in  glorious  action.  Possibly  the  merits  of  our 
slaughter-houses  are  not  yet  quite  so  generally  appreciated. 

"  Slaughter-houses,  in  the  large  towns  of  England,  are  al- 
ways (with  the  exception  of  one  or  two  enterprising  towns) 
most  numerous  in  the  most  densely-crowded  places,  where 
there  is  the  least  circulation  of  air.  They  are  often  under- 
ground, in  cellars ;  they  are  sometimes  in  close  back-yards ; 
sometimes  (as  in  Spitalfielda)  in  the  very  shops  where  the  meat 
is  sold.  Occasionally,  under  good  private  management,  they 
are  ventilated  and  clean.  For  the  most  part,  they  are  unven- 
tilated  and  dirty ;  and,  to  the  reeking  walls,  putrid  fat  and 
other  offensive  animal  matter  clings  with  a  tenacious  hold.  .  .  . 
In  half  a  quarter  of  a  mile's  length  of  Whitechapel,  at  one 
time,  there  shall  be  six  hundred  newly-slaughtered  oxen  hang- 
ing up,  and  seven  hundred  sheep  —  but  the  more  the  merrier 
—  proof  of  prosperity and  it's  — 

'Oh,  the  roast  beef  of  England,  my  boy, 
The  jolly  old  English  roast  beef !' 

"  Mrs.  Quickly  says  that  prunes  are  ill  for  a  green  wound  ; 
but  whosoever  says  that  putrid  animal  substances  are  ill  for  a 
green  wound,  or  for  robust  vigor,  or  for  anything  or  for  any- 
body, is  a  humanity-monger  and  a  humbug.  c  Britons  never, 
never,  never,'  &c,  therefore !  And  prosperity  to  cattle-dri- 
ving, cattle-slaughtering,  bone-crushing,  blood-boiling,  trotter- 
scraping,  tripe-dressing,  paunch-cleaning,  gut-spinning,  hide- 
preparing,  tallow-melting,  and  other  salubrious  proceedings, 
in  the  midst  of  hospitals,  churchyards,  workhouses,  schools, 
infirmaries,  refuges,  dwellings,  provision-shops,  nurseries,  sick- 
beds—  every  stage  and  baiting-place  in  the  journey  from  birth 
to  death !" 

There  is  a  trait  in  the  Englishman  and  the  ox  so  extraordi- 
nary, that  it  deserves  to  be  taken  particular  notice  of:  it  is 
submission.  The  sign  of  this  faculty  is  the  loose  fold  under 
the  throat,  and  in  the  ox  it  is  the  dewlap.     This  name  reminds 


118 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


ns  of  the  rich  pastures  of  John  Bull,  in  which  the  sign  of  sub- 
mission laps  the  dew  while  the  bull  grazes.  The  submission 
of  the  Englishman  is  graceful  in  the  extreme,  for  it  is  perfectly 

natural  to  him.  The  dew  of  his 
youth  is  npon  it  —  and  he  is  re- 
markable for  the  memory  of  his 
childhood.  His  submission  to  his 
sovereign  is  of  a  piece  with  his 
submission  to  parental  authority; 
and  as  he  was  taught  the  one  by 
punishment,  he  needs  not  that  the 
other  should  be  enforced.  Mon- 
archy rests  more  securely  in  Eng- 
land than  in  any  other  country,  for 
it  confides  in  the  submission  that 
is  universally  felt  and  recognised. 
It  is  no  usurpation,  and  has  therefore  nothing  to  fear.  They 
are  as  free  as  the  people  of  a  republic,  and  even  more  so- 
for,  as  Authority  and  Submission 
are  on  the  best  possible  terms  with 
each  other,  the  duty  to  obey  and  -t 
the  right  to  command  are  united  in 
the  same  character,  and  it  is  easy 
for  the  people  to  be  one.  John  Bull 
is  a  single  individual,  or  the  entire 
people,  whichever  you  please  :  the 
description  that  is  applicable  to  the 
one  is  applicable  to  the  other.  In 
their  relations  with  other  nations, 

they  are  like  the  youngster  first  described — selfish,  imperious, 
governed  by  their  own  desires,  submissive  to  their  own  wants, 
yielding  to  nothing  but  necessity.  "When  they  set  their  heart 
upon  anything,  diplomacy  to  prevent  their  getting  it  is  mere 
mockery.     If  they  are  convinced  at  all,  it  is  against  their  wTill ; 

and  — 

"  A  man  convinced  against  his  will, 
Is  of  the  same  opinion  still." 

The  only  argument  that  can  avail  with  them  is  force,  but  of 
this  they  have  naturally  more  than  others,  and  it  has  been 


THE    OX. 


119 


strengthened  with  them  by  exercise.  Still  it  is  necessary  to 
give  them  "  change  in  their  own  coin,"  or  to  "  answer  them 
according  to  their  folly,  lest  they  be  wise  in  their  own  con- 
ceit." However,  it  is  a  good  rule,  "Answer  not  a  fool  ac- 
cording to  his  folly,  lest  thou  be  like  him." 

According  to  Physiognomy,  the  faculties  of  will  lay  in  the 
cerebellum,  along  with  the  passion  which  Gall  assigned  to 
that  portion  of  the  brain.     These,  in  a  sovereign  like  Henry 

YIIL,  and  in  the  animal  to  which 
he  bears  a  resemblance,  are  im- 


perative beyond  measure,  and  their  external  indications  are 
so  large  as  to  attract  attention.  A  "  bull-neck"  suggests  the 
idea  of  a  tyrannical  disposition,  or  of  irresistible  desire,  and  is 
never  spoken  of  in  the  way  of  compliment.  To  the  faculties 
of  love  and  will  in  the  cerebellum,  the  neck  is  bowed  by  Sub- 
mission, and  they  are  made  more  tyrannical  than  they  other- 
wise would  be  ;  they  cause  that  the  individual  should  act  upon 
the  principle  that  "  might  is  right."  John  Bull  shows  a  re- 
markable obtuseness  of  the  moral  and  intellectual  perceptions 
when  the  rules  of  morality  are  applied  to  himself;  but  when 
he  takes  the  position  of  an  umpire  —  in  wmich  case  his  percep- 
tions are  less  under  the  influence  of  the  faculties  in  the  basi- 
lar region  of  the  cranium,  and  more  associated  with  exquisite 
discrimination  or  love  of  enjoyment — his  perceptions  are  more 
refined.  This  is  true  of  the  person  whose  portrait  is  presented 
on  the  following  page,  and  who,  from  his  resemblance  to  the 
above,  was  well  suited  to  cater  to  the  selfishness,  licentious- 
ness, and  cruelty,  of  that  beastly  monarch.     Cardinal  Wolsey 


120  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

and  the  king  whose  baseness  he  excelled  should  go  together, 
as  they  did  in  sensual  indulgence,  and  in  the  love  of  power, 
and  in  too  literal  re- 
semblance to  the  ani-     "^ 
mals  the j  belong  to. 
When  oxen  draw 
together  in  a  yoke,        • 
they  lean  away  from 
each  other,  so  as  to 
be  under  the  necessity  of  holding  each 

other  up.  This  is  on  account  of  their  great  repulsiveness —  a 
trait  which  was  mentioned  as  being  a  prominent  element  of 
the  English  character.  It  is  an  exhibition,  also,  of  a  sort  of 
ox-justice  —  a  pulling  in  opposite  directions,  in  order  to  know 
which  is  the  right  way.  Oxen  never  know  the  road  ;  they  are 
kept  in  it  by  pulling  against  each  other ;  and  they  act  precisely 
as  if  they  were  in  a  perfect  state  of  dubiousness  as  to  where 
they  were  going  to,  and  as  to  what  step  they  should  take  next. 
They  see  the  two  horns  of  a  dilemma  most  distinctly,  and  pru- 
dently consider  which  they  shall  choose  ;  and  (a  yoke  of  oxen 
being  naturally  repulsive  to  each  other)  the  one  inclines  to 
the  right  horn  and  the  other  to  the  left.  Between  the  two,  if 
the  yoke  were  not  a  strong  one,  it  would  be  pulled  asunder; 
and  if  a  thong  were  not  applied  to  them,  they  would  not  go 
forward  at  all.  Precisely  so  it  is  with  the  English  in  all  ques- 
tions of  law  and  equity,  especially  in  a  court  of  justice  where 
the  right  of  a  question  is  a  difficult  point  to  be  decided.  The 
result  is,  that  the  parties  upon  the  opposite  sides  are  as  antag- 
onistic as  possible;  and  the  trial,  with  all  the  "gee  hawing," 
and  yelling,  and  thrashing,  makes  excessively  slow  progress. 
If  the  patient  in  this  case  is  not  in  respect  to  fortune  as  strong 
as  a  yoke,  he  is  drawn  and  quartered,  and  the  lumbering  suit 
is  stopped  for  the  want  of  means  to  go  on  with  it.  "With  this 
peculiarity  of  the  Englibh  we  are  so  familiar,  that  we  take  no 
particular  notice  of  it,  and  do  not  reflect  but  that  it  is  as  com- 
mon to  other  people  as  to  them.  Of  course,  this  spirit  of  liti- 
gation, growing  out  of  antagonism,  is  a  prominent  trait  in  their 
descendants  in  this  country ;  but  it  grows  weaker,  and  is  ex- 


THE    OX. 


121 


hibited  here  much  less  than  in  England,  and  now  much  less 
than  formerly. 

It  is  the  trait  of  character  here  described  that  makes  the 
Englishman  "  as  honest  as  a  cooper's  cow."     He  must  know 


"the  right  of  the  case"  before  he  can  pronounce  judgment; 
he  is  particularly  anxious  to  "take  the  right  bull  by  the 
horns  ;"  he  endeavors  to  hold  the  scales  of  justice  in  impartial 
balance ;  his  fellow-laborer  is  the  man  who  opposes  him,  who 
counterpoises  him  by  a  weight  of  argument  equal  to  his  own. 
He  loves  to  acknowledge  a  mutual  dependence.  If  the  love 
of  truth  did  not  bind  him  to  his  opponent,  he  would  fall : 
hence  he  acknowledges  a  higher  dependence  upon  truth  than 
on  man,  as  oxen  acknowledge  a  dependence  upon  the  yoke 
more  than  upon  each  other.  He  submits  to  truth  as  the  ox 
submits  to  the  yoke ;  his  faculties  of  love  and  will  are  partic- 
ularly submissive  and  obedient.  Thus  are  those  stern,  rude, 
barbarian  qualities  mentioned  in  the  last  paragraph,  turned  to 
harmony  with  that  delightful  trait  in  the  English  character, 
the  love  of  enjoyment. 

Let  us  turn  to  this,  and  say  a  few  words  upon  it  before  we 
part  with  the  English.  The  quietness  before  spoken  of  as  con- 
stituting a  resemblance  between  the  Englishwoman  and  the 
cow,  conceals  very  often  the  viciousness  referred  to  in  Byron's 
couplet : — 

"  If  she  will  she  will,  you  may  depend  on't ; 
If  she  won't  she  won't,  and  there's  an  end  on't!" 


122  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

You  are  not  to  conclude  that  it  is  absent  from  the  character 
because  it  is  concealed,  any  more  than  you  are  to  conclude 
that  a  cow  will  give  down  her  milk,  or  will  not  kick  over  the 
pail,  because  she  is  seen  chewing  the  cud  so  quietly.  But 
there  is  a  gentleness  and  serenity  imparted  by  the  love  of  en- 
joyment that  may  even  do  away  with  the  objectionable  fea- 
ture that  is  expressed  by  the  term  "  viciousness."  In  domes- 
tic life,  in  rural  economy,  and  in  everything  connected  with 
the  love  of  enjoyment,  the  English  are  admirable ;  and  they 
show  a  particular  aptitude  for  everything  Italian,  or  for  those 
artistic  things  that  are  represented  in  the  horse :  and  not 
merely  do  they  appreciate  these  things,  but  they  imitate  and 
improve.  As  the  horse  has  some  super-excellent  qualities  im- 
parted to  him  by  the  English,  and  is  a  great  favorite  of  theirs, 
so  art  is  fostered  and  improved,  and  has  a  certain  quietude, 
softness,  serenity,  and  exquisiteness,  imparted  to  it  in  Eng- 
land ;  and  in  this  respect  it  is  happy  there,  though  it  lives  a 
more  charmed  life  in  Italy. 


THE   HORSE. 


123 


CHAPTER   XIX 


TVe  have  observed  that  artists  resemble  horses.  They  are 
like  them  in  the  lines  that  compose  the  features,  in  the  bear- 
ing of  the  body,  in  their 
gait  and  carriage,  in  the 
spirit  which  they  manifest 
in  their  motions  and  thence 
infuse  into  their  work,  and 
with  which  also  they  in- 
spire the  beholder.  The 
Andalusian  horse,  which 
we  see  represented  below, 
is  like  an  artist  painting  a 
battle-field,  or  a  storm  at 
sea.  With  his  flashing  eye 
he  dashes  the  colors  upon 
the  canvass 


124  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

creation  of  his  own  imagination  ;  holds,  contemplates  the 
scene  with  caution  and  pride,  and  then  dashes  on  again ! 
Courage  and  fear  are  equally  mingled  in  him :  his  success 
depends  as  much  upon  one  as  upon  the  other,  and  both  are 
indispensable.  Like  the  artist,  he  takes  in  the  whole  at  a 
glance,  and  carefully  observes  the  details.  And  the  artist  — 
how  boldly  he  dashes  about  the  lines,  like  a  horse  in  the 
battle-field  ;  and  yet  how  cautiously,  lest  the  labor  in  details 
should  not  contribute  to  the  harmony  of  the  whole,  and  the 
project  should  be  crowned  with  defeat !  When  all  is  right  in 
the  surroundings,  how  confidently  he  dashes  into  the  midst  — 
how  full  of  fire ;  and  yet  how  cautious,  in  the  midst  of  confu- 
sion and  smoke,  to  keep  his  place,  to  be  governed  by  the  rein, 
and  to  preserve  the  equilibrium  between  courage  and  fear ! 
As  he  approaches  the  hour  of  his  triumph  or  defeat,  what 
great  need  has  he  of  this  union  of  opposites !  "What  sadder 
spectacle  of  fallen  pride  than  a  horse  tumbled  on  his  back 
upon  the  field  of  battle?  The  failure  of  an  artist  is  quite 
equal  to  it,  to  say  the  least. 

With  the  horse,  courage  is  inspired  by  caution,  and  caution 
by  courage  :  for  in  the  midst  of  danger  from  which  it  is  im- 
possible to  escape,  caution  finds  no  safety  but  in  courage ; 
and  as  courage  would  rush  into  danger  that  might  be  avoid- 
ed, it  excites  caution.  With  the  artist,  this  mutual  influ- 
ence of  caution  and  courage  is  exhibited  in  a  super-eminent 
degree. 

If  you  would  see  a  strong  resemblance  to  the  horse,  look  at 
those  who  represent  Nature  on  the  stage,  as  well  as  at  those 
who  represent  her  on  canvass.  The  sculptor  is  one  who  comes 
between  the  painter  and  the  actor,  and  he,  too,  bears  a  strong 
resemblance  to  the  horse.  The  Italians  are  a  nation  of  artists 
and  amateurs.  The  dilletanti  are  all  Italy,  and  they  may  be 
classed  according  to  the  varieties  of  horses.  We  fancy  that 
the  reader  will  see  a  resemblance  between  the  king  of  Naples 
(Ferdinand  II.,  whose  portrait  is  presented  on  the  following 
page)  and  the  variety  which  is  there  also  given,  in  reference 
to  which  we  should  be  warned  not  to  put  our  trust  in  horses. 
He  makes  a  fair  show,  and  is  wedge-shaped  in  front,  but  he 


THE   HORSE. 


125 


takes  a  wide  sweep  when  he  brings  np  the  rear.     Time  was 
when  the  horse  had  a  Roman  nose,  and  was  exceedingly 


warlike ;  and  he  represented  the 
he   represents 


Romans  then,  as 
them  now.  Instead  of  the  old 
Roman  nose,  which  ruled  "  lord 
of  the  ascendant,"  we  see  nowa- 
days the  "  saddle-backed  nose" 


among  the  Italians  as  often  as  among  other  people,  and  at- 
tached to  a  horse  as  often  as  to  any  other  animal.  The  Ro- 
man war-horse,  that  might  well  remind  you  of  the  slumbering 
lion,  you  can  scarcely  distinguish  from  the  miserable  cart- 
horse, with  the  ardor,  the  spirit,  and  the  fire,  driven  out  of 
him,  instead  of  slumbering  like  the  thunderbolt  in  the  heavy 
cloud.  This  same  horse  becomes  in  after-times  the  clumpy 
beast  of  burden,  and  so  it  is  with  the  Italian  who  is  overbur- 
dened and  poorly  fed. 

On  the  succeeding  page,  however,  is  the  picture  of  an  Ital- 
ian female  who  loves  to  be  useful  —  who  does  the  much  that 
her  heart  and  strength  prompt  her  to  do,  and  no  more.  She 
is  more  noble  than  the  Roman  matron  who  reared  her  sons 
for  war,  for  she  applies  the  same  elements  of  strength  to  the 
promotion  of  peace;  and  we  may  say  that  the  animal  that 
stands  adjoining  is  more  noble  than  the  war-horse,  and  quite 
as  independent.  The  aspect  assures  us  of  the  good  disposi- 
tion, the  willingness  to  labor,  the  confidence  of  good  treatment, 
and  the  constant  readiness  for  service. 

The  horse  is  a  form  of  art.  Symmetry  is  one  of  his  peculi- 
arities ;  and  his  motions,  like  the  outlines  of  his  body,  undu- 


126 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


late  between  straight  lines  and  circles.     Action  is  character- 
istic alike  of  the  artist  and  of  the  horse.     No  judge  pro- 
nounces upon  the  merits  of  a  horse 
until  he  sees  him  in  motion,  or,  to 
use  his  own  phrase,  observes  "  how 


he  handles,  himself."  It  maybe  said  also  that  no  amateur 
pronounces  upon  the  merits  of  an  artist  until  he  sees  how  he 
handles  his  instruments,  or  sees  his  motions  described  on  can- 
vass or  marble.  The  line  of  beauty  insensibly  perceived  in 
the  gait  of  a  spirited,  proud,  dashing,  but  easy,  graceful,  and 
obedient  horse,  is  the  result  of  that  perfect  union  of  boldness 
and  timidity  before  spoken  of,  together  with  an  even  balance 
between  weight  and  lightness,  and  the  symmetry  which  char- 
acterizes him.  The  affinity  of  the  artist  for  the  horse  is  there- 
fore very  great.  Among  other  evidences  is  his  habit  of  wear- 
ing the  hair  long,  thus  increasing  his  resemblance  to  the  ani-' 
mal  he  so  much  admires.  It  is  true  also  that  woman,  who  is 
privileged  to  wear  the  hair  long,  is  more  symmetrical,  more 
graceful,  and  in  every  way  more  artistic,  except  in  boldness 
and  originality,  than  man.  She  is  also  a  passionate  admirer 
of  the  horse,  and  skilful  in  managing  him ;  and  is  herself  the 
model  of  that  oeauty  (see  next  page)  which  by  the  Italians, 
and  by  all  who  make  pilgrimages  to  Eome,  is  sought  for  in 
the  works  of  the  old  masters,  and  in  the  atmosphere  of  that 
delightful  country. 

The  artist  owes  his  artistic  talent  to  an  original  genius  in- 
fused  into  him  from  his  earliest  existence.  How  often  do  we 
hear  it  said  that  the  man  who  is  not  born  an  artist  can  never 


THE   HORSE. 


127 


become  one  !  This  shows  that  there  can  be  no  true  art  that 
has  not  its  original  in  Nature,  that  does  not  agree  with  Na- 
ture, and  that  does  not  cite  Nature 
as  its  authority.  The  child  that  is 
destined  to  be  an  artist  is  more  a 
"  child  of  Nature"  than  any  other. 
In  every  movement  of  that  wild 
one  you  see  an  inspiration  of  art ; 
and  the  graceful,  curveting,  high- 
spirited  horse  seems  moved  also  by 
inspiration.  In  Italian  children, 
more  than  in  any  other,  do  you  see 
those  forms  and  those  motions  that 
waken  in  you  the  appreciation  of 
art,  and  which  cause  you  to  start 
with  pleasure  and  surprise,  like  an  artist  when  he  beholds  a 
beautiful  landscape,  or  like  a  horse,  with  a  look  of  animation, 

when  he  comes  to  the 
brow  of  a  hill,  and 
sees  a  fine,  beautiful 
country  spread  out 
before  him.     Laugh, 

if  vou  will  —  but  ob- 

1/ 

serve,  and  you  will 
find  that  those  sights 
which  startle  and  an- 
imate the  spirit  of  a 
horse  are  those  which 
are  the  most  interest- 
ing in  the  eye  of  an 
artist.  Just  such  a  curve  in  the  road,  just  such  a  clump  of 
trees,  and  just  such  a  house,  as  excites  the  attention  of  a  horse, 
attracts  the  artist,  and  he  looks  upon  it  as  the  result  of  an 
inspiration  in  the  mind  of  somebody. 

Inspiration  is,  indeed,  the  origin  of  art.  Nature  is  a  reve- 
lation, but  it  is  only  the  higher  faculties  in  man  that  are  capa- 
ble of  regarding  it  as  such ;  and  art,  which  is  inspired  by  this, 
is  a  revelation  in  a  far  higher  sense  than  Nature  is.     The  art- 


128  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

ful  in  Nature,  as  in  the  fox  and  the  cat,  is  detestable  in  human 
beings.  It  is  the  province  of  the  higher  art  to  render  subser- 
vient whatever  is  artful  in  the  natural  character.  The  facul- 
ties of  imposture,  intrigue,  dissembling,  and  cunning,  are  con- 
verted by  it  into  the  love  of  responsibility,  the  love  of  concert, 
the  love  of  ceremony  (affectation),  and  the  love  of  surprise. 
The  horse  manifests  all  these  faculties  in  subserviency  to  art : 
the  love  of  responsibility  in  carrying  his  master  safely  and 
proudly  ;  his  love  of  concert  in  galloping  in  rank  and  file,  and 
in  prancing  to  the  sound  of  music  ;  his  love  of  ceremony  in 
his  graceful  carriage,  which  is  particularly  manifested  on  cer- 
emonial occasions ;  and  his  love  of  surprise  in  being  startled 
at  everything  extraordinary  —  more  from  surprise  than  fear, 
though  caution  has  much  to  do  with  it,  and  is  one  of  the  things 
necessary  to  an  artist,  as  before  observed.  These  faculties 
have  a  higher  action  in  the  horse  than  in  other  animals,  sim- 
ply because  it  is  a  form  of  art,  and  is  subject  to  a  kind  of 
inspiration,  corresponding  to  that  of  the  artist.  The  dog 
shares  in  the  pleasure  of  his  master,  and  the  cock  is  proud  of 
himself ;  but  it  can  be  said  only  of  the  horse,  that  he 

"  Shares  with  his  lord  the  pleasure  and  the  pride." 

He  is  not  free,  however,  as  man  is,  to  change  the  character 
that  Nature  gave  him,  except  to  a  very  limited  extent.  In 
so  far  as  Nature  has  failed  in  making  him  a  perfect  form  of 
art,  he  is  capable  of  degeneracy.  Horses  sometimes  "  make 
believe."  We  have  known  them  to  feign  lameness  (though 
it  is  only  the  most  miserable  kind  of  horses  that  do  this),  and 
if  their  skittishness  is  not  sometimes  an  affectation  of  fear,  it 
is  exceedingly  like  it.  In  circuses,  horses  are  trained  to  this, 
and  there  it  is  certainly  theatrical,  artistic,  and  intended  for 
effect.  No  other  animal,  not  even  the  dog  or  the  monkey, 
can  play  his  part  so  well.  The  biting,  the  kicking,  and  the 
various  equinal  passions,  are  represented  upon  the  stage  to 
the  very  life;  and  here  he  is  more  admired  as  an  actor  than 
the  clown  himself,  who,  if  he  were  so  disposed,  is  too  perverted 
to  represent  Nature  perfectly. 

Man  is  capable  of  making  the  higher  faculties  of  art  sub- 


THE   HORSE. 


129 


servient  to  the  lower,  and  by  so  doing  he  renders  himself 
ignoble  in  the  extreme.  He  is  base,  hypocritical,  crafty,  in- 
triguing—  everything  that  is 
included  in  the  term  "  artful." 
Of  this  class  are  highly-accom- 
plished rogues  and  villains. 
Such  men  evince  extraordina- 
ry talents  for  art,  and  suscep- 
tibility of  refinement ;  and  it 
is  by  means  of  art  thus  per- 
verted and  profaned  that  they 


succeed  in  their  wicked  designs  —  for  art  is  pleasing  to  all. 
The  indications  of  this  evil  disposition  in  them  are  the  signs 
of  the  several  faculties  enumerated  above,  together  with  their 
resemblance  to  the  horse.  Not  unfrequently  they  have  clas- 
sic features,  of  exceeding  delicacy,  like  those  of  an  Italian 
beauty  ;  but  in  such  cases  the  signs  of  the  moral  and  religious 
faculties  are  wanting,  and  the  signs  of  deception  are  larger 
than  they  should  be. 

To  be  possessed  of  superior  talents  for  art  is  therefore  dan- 
gerous. The  talent  for  acting  is  perhaps  more  liable  to  per- 
version than  any  other.  The  danger  in  this  case  is  from  the 
faculty  of  affectation,  which  in  its  higher  action  is  love  of 
ceremony,  or  politeness.  External  politeness  is  made  to  ex- 
ceed the  internal ;  the  rites  of  religion  are  more  than  the 
spirit  and  the  power ;  the  profession  is  better  than  the  life ; 
an  appearance  of  sanctity  is  made  the  cloak  of  wickedness, 


130 


COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 


and  religion  is  made  finally  to  consist  of  nothing  but  forms 
and  ceremonies.  In  connection  with  this,  the  lowest  class 
make  an  exhibition  of  themselves  for  the  sake  of  gain.  They 
feign  deformities,  infirmities,  and  calamities  that  have  no  real 
existence.  They  make  "model  artists"  of  themselves,  and 
extend  their  hands  for  charity  with  such  good  success,  that 
they  are  encouraged  to  continue  their  profession.  To  give  a 
picture  of  the  Italians,  in  illustration  of  the  artful  in  contra- 
distinction from  true  art,  would  require  more  time  than  it 
would  be  profitable  to  spend  on  such  a  subject. 

One  trait  of  the  Italians,  growing  out  of  the  thousand  arti- 
fices they  practise  upon  each  other,  is  jealousy  and  distrust. 
Suspicion  is  said  to  be  a  characteristic  of  the  Italians.  It  is 
so  more  from  the  prevalence  of  the  artificial  than  from  the 
strength  of  the  faculty  of  suspicion.  True  art  inspires  confi- 
dence, for  it  changes  the  deceitful  faculties  into  the  very  op- 
posites.  "Who  more  than  the  sculptor  and  the  painter  love  to 
give  agreeable  surprises  ?  who  more  than  Italian  opera-singers 
illustrate  the  faculties  of  affectation  and  love  of  concert  ?  By- 
the-by,  there  are  sounds  uttered  by  these  Italian  artists  that 
remind  us  of  the  neighing  of  a  horse. 


-^^ 


Art  raises  man  to  the  highest  pinnacle  of  perfection.  It 
includes  education,  improvement,  regeneration,  accountability 
—  all  that  belongs  to  man  as  created  in  the  image  and  like- 
ness  of  his  Maker.     There  is  not  a  wider  difference  between 


THE   HORSE. 


131 


the  horse  and  the  leopard,  than  there  is  between  the  artist  in 
the  highest  sense  of  the  term,  and  one  who  is  artful  and  de- 


If  we  were  to  define  art,  we 
could  not  do  better  than  to  say 
that  it  is  a  reflection  of  Nature. 
The  mind  of  an  artist  is  like  a 
mirror :  he  throws  back  an  im- 
age of  the  object  that  pleases 
him, that  others  may  see  it;  for 
an  artist  sees  more  than  others. 
He  contemplates  the  scene,  and 
the  result  is  a  reflection  like  the 
Daguerreotype  —  in  which  the 
Sun,  not  content  with  furnish- 
ing subjects  for  Art,  affects  the 

rival.  Nor  is  this  all.  What  the  artist  reflects  is  creation, 
and  he  therefore  becomes  a  creator,  taking  Nature  for  his  ex- 
ample. This  is  a  higher  kind  of  reflection  ;  it  is  thought, 
reason,  poetry,  fancy,  and  imagination.  It  is  the  mission  of 
the  artist  to  see  what  others  do  not  see,  and  then  to  reflect  it, 
that  others  may  share  the  pleasure  and  the  inspiration.  But 
art,  by  the  exercise  of  reflection,  is  not  rendered  independent 
of  Nature.  The  dependence  is  even  greater  than  before,  at 
the  same  time  that  the  artist  is  rendered  original,  and  is  free 
to  depart  from  the  exact  form  of  the  objects  of  the  senses. 
Fancy  and  imagination  alone  endow  him  with  the  largest  lib- 
erty, and  make  him  a  very  Proteus  in  the  creation  of  works 
of  art,  surrounding  him  with 

11  Gorgons  and  chimeras  dire  ;" 

but  poetry  and  reason,  which  are  also  creative,  are  bound  by 
truth,  and  governed  by  the  laws  of  order  and  harmony  which 
Nature  teaches.  To  depart  from  Nature,  would  be  proof  of 
a  deficiency  of  the  higher  kind  of  reflection,  and  would  con- 
demn a  man  to  the  society  of  his  own  creations,  which  would 
be  monsters,  and  not  worth  seeing. 

As  reflection  includes  reason,  and  is  the  essential  of  art, 


132 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


the  philosopher  as  well  as  the  poet  must  be  an  artist.  As  the 
horse,  too,  is  a  form  of  art,  lie  may  represent  the  philosopher 
as  well  as  the  sculptor  aud  the  painter.  The  man  who  excels 
in  either  of  the  departments  of  art  is  deficient  in  neither  of 
the  talents  referred  to.  In  this  portrait  of  a  sage  who  com- 
bined them  all  in  a  super- 
eminent  degree,  and  who 
says  also  that  the  horse  cor- 
responds to  reason  or  reflec- 
tion, we  observe  a  resem- 
blance to  that  animal.  \Ye 
see  it  in  the  look,  the  air, 
the  spirit  that  animates  the 
countenance,  as  well  as  in 
the  position  and  cast  of  the 
features.  He  reminds  us  of 
a  horse  that  gallops  long 
and  free,  with  a  distant  ob- 
ject in  view  —  ambitious, 
hopeful,  confident,  perseve- 
ring—  with  his  eye  in  the  face  of  the  sun,  which  is  the  object 
in  the  horizon  toward  which  he  is  tending.  The  bold  and  suc- 
cessful discoverer  in  the  unexplored  regions  of  science  and 
philosophy  is  well  represented  by  a  horse  racing  steadily  over 


THE   HOKSE.  133 

a  trackless  desert,  in  which  nevertheless  his  animation  never 
fails  for  the  lack  of  objects  of  interest.  The  noblest  horse  — 
the  Arab  or  the  barb  —  will  best  represent  and  most  resemble 
the  man  of  noblest  reason ;  and  if  you  add  the  wings  of  the 
eagle,  you  have  a  Pegasus  that  is  the  fitting  emblem  of  the 
highest  style  of  art,  the  result  of  the  highest  inspiration. 

The  philosophic  mind,  like  the  artistic,  comprehends  that 
"  generals  include  particulars,"  and  draws  the  outlines  of  his 
work  before  he  enters  into  the  details.  As  he  progresses  in 
the  unfolding  of  Nature,  or  in  transferring  Nature  to  canvass, 
he  "  fills  up  the  picture ;"  and  his  course  is  as  much  like  that 
of  the  war-horse  under  the  guidance  of  the  warrior  as  it  is  like 
that  of  the  artist.  It  is  described  figuratively  at  the  com- 
mencement of  this  chapter.  His  bounds  being  fixed,  the 
waves  of  thought  are  free ;  they  have  no  power  to  burst  into 
disorder  and  confusion ;  they  are  governed  by  Order  and 
Harmony,  which  say  to  Reason,  "  Thus  far  and  no  farther, 
and  here  shall  thy  proud  waves  be  stayed !" 


134  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 


CHAPTEE   XX. 

One  of  the  essential  things  in  an  artist,  and  in  a  work  of 
art,  is  unity  of  design.  In  this  consists  the  idea  of  beauty, 
which  the  artist  perceives,  and  labors  to  produce.  Without 
it  there  is  confusion  and  discord,  and  consequently  deformity 
and  distortion.  Harmony  is  essential  to  unity  of  design ; 
and  the  crowning  beauty  is  symmetry,  because  symmetry  ex- 
presses unity  and  perfection,  and  hence  purity  —  the  very 
opposite  of  adulteration  and  mixture.  The  essentials  of  beauty 
are  exhibited  in  the  greatest  degree  in  the  human  form,  and 
in  every  department  of  art  the  highest  perfection  to  which  an 
artist  can  attain  is  the  nearest  approach  to  a  perfect  man 
which  his  subject  will  allow.  We  ascribe  perfect  symmetry 
to  angelic  beings,  and  wish  that  we  were  like  them,  which 
shows  that  unity  of  design  is  the  principle  in  all  things.  What 
this  symmetry  indicates  is  what  we  should  strive  to  be.  It  is 
the  dictate  of  cowardice  to  suppose  that  — 

"  Angel  forms  do  often  hide 
Spirits  to  the  fiends  allied." 

The  counterfeit  of  purity  and  intelligence  is  very  like  the  ori- 
ginal, but  there  are  "  counterfeit-detectors"  in  the  science  of 
Physiognomy  as  well  as  in  other  things.  The  "  prince  of 
darkness"  may  throw  over  his  hideous  shape  some  thin  dis- 
guises, but  he  knows  that  they  only  who  desire  external  beauty, 
without  the  internal,  will  be  deceived  thereby.  But  this,  un- 
fortunately, includes  all,  for  we  are  so  selfish  as  to  wish  to 
appear  better  than  we  are. 

As  the  female  is  in  form  more  symmetrical  than  the  male, 
it  is  taken  for  granted  that  she  is  the  last,  best  work  of  the 
Creator;  and  the  qualities  which  we  have  ascribed  to  symme- 


THE   HOUSE. 


135 


try  are  attributed  to  her  in  a  greater  degree  than  to  man. 
The  artist  derives  from  her  his  ideas  of  what  is  pure,  perfect, 
and  celestial.  She  is  more 
fond  of  beauty  than  man  — 
she  is  more  congenial  with 
it,  and  hence  she  is  more 
beautiful.  In  our  illustration 
of  this  we  must  not  descend 
into  everything  —  we  must 
confine  ourselves  to  our  sub- 
ject, which  is  the  horse.  In 
point  of  symmetry,  woman 
has  more  resemblance  to  the 
horse  than  to  any  other  ani- 
mal—  and  her  sympathies 
show  that  there  is  an  inter- 
nal resemblance  as  well  as  an  external.  She  is  particularly 
fond  of  equestrian  exercises,  and  manages  a  horse  admirably, 

better  than  man  does, 
where  she  has  equal 
advantages,  as  is  seen 
in  Persia  and  in  other 
countries  where  it  is 
customary  for  women 
to  spend  much  time  on 
horseback.  She  loves 
the  arching  neck,  and 
bending  head,  and  fin- 
ished outline,in  a  great- 
er degree  than  man 
does,  for  her  appreciation  of  the  line  of  beaut}1-  in  the  horse 
is  the  necessary  result  of  a  higher  degree  of  the  same  quality 
in  herself  than  belongs  to  man.  Are  not  the  lady  and  horse 
above  in  admirable  keeping  with  each  other?  do  they  not 
seem  to  breathe  the  same  atmosphere,  and  to  inspire  the  same 
spirit?  Would  you  not  place  such  a  lady  as  that  upon  such 
a  horse  ?  is  there  not  something  kindly  and  responsive  in  their 
relations  to  each  other?   would  not  the  horse  feel  the  wishes 


136 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


of  his  rider,  as  of  an  animating  principle,  without  spur  or 

rein  ?  and  would  not  the  lady  sympathize  in  every  movement 

of  the  horse  ? 

The  lady  here  has  the  air  of  an  equestrian  more  than  the 

former,  for  she  prefers  a  horse  that  requires  "  management," 

as  she  herself  does,  and  one  that 
moves  as  this  animal  does.  Cor- 
responding with  the  external  re- 
semblance, you  can  see  that  she 


is  intellectual,  high-minded,  independent,  and  goes  straight 
forward ;  full  of  perseverance  and  determination ;  reaching 
forth  to  the  future,  not  presumptuously,  but  clinging  to  the 
past;  not  jealous,  but  still  ambitious  that  nothing  should  pass 
her  on  the  road  to  fame. 

If  there  is  a  form  in  Nature  that  may  symbolize  art,  and 
furnish  the  artist  with  an  ideal  from  which  to  trace  the  lines 
of  beauty  in  creations  of  his  own,  that  form  is  the  horse.  ~\Ye 
discover  the  outlines  of  this  animal  most  in  implements  of 
labor,  particularly  of  agriculture.  In  chairs  and  sofas,  or 
whatever  is  made  to  recline  upon,  we  see  the  same  form  of 
beauty  and  of  use.  But  in  things  made  to  correspond  with 
the  body  in  which  the  soul  is  lodged  —  as  in  vases  that  con- 
tain the  substances  that  inspirit  it,  and  as  in  architecture  that 
is  to  the  body  what  the  body  is  to  the  soul,  and  as  in  dress 
that  is  the  clothing  of  the  external  man  as  the  form  is  of  the 
internal  —  we  see  that  the  model  of  beauty  and  perfection  in 
the  mind  of  the  artist  is  the  human  form.  The  arts  which 
distinguish  man  from  the  lower  animals  are  of  the  two  kinds 
we  have  spoken  of — resemblances  to  the  form  of  the  horse, 


THE   HORSE. 


137 


and  imitations  of  the  masterpiece  of  creation.  And  as  the 
works  of  art  first  mentioned  are  the  appurtenances  of  a  man, 
along  with  the  vessel  that  contains  his  food  and  with  the  house 
and  clothing  that  contain  his  body,  we  see  why  the  horse  and 
the  artist  should  resemble  each  other. 

The  horse  is  the  standard  of  beauty  by  which  to  compare 
all  forms  of  the  animal  creation.     This  is  an  honor,  truly.     It 
is  rendered  on  account  of  the  symmetry  which  he  possesses 
in  common  with  man.     As  things  symmetrical  are  harmoni- 
ous (on  which  account  mankind  are  inclined  to  become  one), 
the  horse  and  his  rider  are  remarkably  fitted  to  each  other, 
and  present  an  example  of  "  unity  of 
design."     Where  the  two  had  a  spe- 
cial resemblance  to  each  other,  they 
would  seem  blended  into  one ;  and 
hence  the  centaurs,  as  represented  in 
ancient  works  of  art,  had 
a  more   natural   origin 
than  the  mere  habit  of 
the  inhabitants  of  Mount 
Pelion  spending  a  great 
portion  of  their  time  on 
horseback ;  for  no  one 
would  think  of  uniting 
a  man  and  a  donkey, 
though  the  former  should  ride  the  latter  for  ever.     Mount 
Pelion  was  in  Thessaly,  and  the  Thessalians  were  celebrated 
riders ;  hence  men  and  horses  were  particularly  fitted  to  each 
other,  and  might  be  represented  as  one  by  those  who  under- 
stood the  principle  of  symmetry ;  and  that  they  were  called 
"  Centaurs,"  or  "  Bull-killers,"  is  further  proof  of  this,  for  the 
Thessalians  were  accustomed  to  hunt  the  bull  on  horseback. 
"When  the  Indians  first  saw  the  Spaniards  on  horseback,  they 
saw  them  as  centaurs ;  they  beheld  in  the  man  and  the  horse 
a  single  creature,  and  experience  was  necessary  to  enable 
them  to  distinguish  between  them. 

Parts  that  are  symmetrical  can  not  be  separated  without 
violence.    Even  when  the  spirit  has  departed,  it  is  sacrilege 


138 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


to  divide  the  body  —  much  more  when  the  soul,  whose  unity 
is  indicated  by  that  of  the  body,  is  present  in  it.  It  could 
not  be  permitted  to  man  to  commit  so  horrible  a  sacrilege  as 
to  break  a  bone  of  the  body  of  our  Savior.  One  feels  that  it 
would  be  a  kind  of  profanation  to  break  the  statue  of  a  perfect 
human  form,  and  hence  the  immortality  of  a  work  of  art : — 

"A  thing  of  beauty  is  a  joy  for  ever." 

Unity  is  something  to  rejoice  in  ;  it 
is  the  attribute  of  God  :  and  man  is 
created  in  his  image,  to  be  an  artist, 
and  to  finish  the  Creator's  most  per- 
fect work. 

Let  it  be  understood  that  art  is  no 
more  "  strained"  than  the  "  quality 
of  mercy."  There  is  room  for  its  ex- 
ercise when  there  is  no  skill  in  the 
chisel  or  the  brush.  Hence  a  per- 
son who  is  not  called  an  artist  may  have  more  resemblance  to 
a  horse  than  one  who  is.  The  highest  expression  of  art  is  the 
highest  beauty  to  which  he  is  capable  of  attaining.  In  this 
animal,  which  we  compare  with  Melancthon,  what  an  admi- 


THE   HORSE.  139 

rable  illustration  of  symmetry  do  we  behold !  and  how  this 
effect  is  increased  by  the  appreciation  of  the  line  of  beauty 
in  the  action  of  the  animal  —  in  his  curveting,  his  flexure  of 
the  joints,  his  motion  of  the  legs,  his  holding  of  the  tail,  his 
curvature  of  the  neck,  and  last  and  most  beautiful  of  all,  his 
looking  at  himself  to  see  the  elegance  of  his  form  and  the 
gracefulness  of  his  movements !  This  corresponds  to  that 
which  in  man  may  be  called  self-examination — the  highest 
action  of  the  reasoning  and  moral  faculties  combined  —  from 
which  proceeds  humility  instead  of  pride,  true  dignity  instead 
of  arrogance  —  so  nearly  do  opposite  faculties  and  their  signs 
approach  each  other ! 

The  horse,  by  his  resemblance  to  the  artist,  is  related  to 
the  sun  (which  pencils  and  paints),  to  every  halo,  to  the  rain- 
bow, the  morning  dawn,  and  the  thousand  reflections  from 
the  face  of  Nature  that  charm  the  eye  with  the  beauty  of 
form  and  color !  The  sun's  horses  are  fiery  and  fleet,  and 
could  never  be  driven  without  reins  :  and  it  has  never  entered 


the  mind  of  man  to  substitute  asses  in  their  stead.  Oxen  may 
be  yoked  to  the  moon,  which  ascends  the  horizon  like  a  loaded 
wain,  but  the  chariot  of  the  sun  must  be  drawn  by  horses. 
As  the  difference  between  the  beauty  of  objects  in  moonlight 
and  of  objects  in  sunlight,  so  is  the  difference  between  Eng- 
lish art  and  Italian.  The  former  is  soft  and  subdued,  and  has 
the  air  of  stillness  and  repose ;  but  the  latter  presents  the 
strongest  contrast  of  light  and  shade,  and  has  all  the  charac- 
teristics of  the  garish  day.  It  is  one  of  the  peculiarities  of 
the  horse,  which  we  have  often  observed,  that  a  shade  in  a 
broad  sunlight  is  especially  pleasing  to  him,  and  it  is  equally 


140 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


true  that  the  cow  enjoys  herself  in  the  moonlight  much  more 

than  the  horse. 

The  fire  of  genius,  the  glance  that  penetrates  creation,  the 

intellect  that  searches  through  all  tilings  and  beholds  high 

and  low,  correspond  to  the 
rays  of  the  sun,  and  also  to 
the  horse,  in  the  flash  of  his 
eye,  and  the  bearing  of  his 
head,  as  he  flies  over  the  plain 
inspired  by  the  love  of  free- 
dom and  by  the  wall  of  a  mas- 


fe^ 


ter  who  breathes  a  noble  spirit  like  his  own.  Is  not  this  horse, 
that  resembles  Rammohun  Roy,  and  that  might  pass  for  one 
of  the  horses  of  the  sun,  a  fine  example? 

This  splendid  intellect,  this  noble  soul,  born  and  educated 
to  the  religion  of  Brahma,  dispelled  by  its  radiance  the  dark- 
ness of  superstition.  lie  laid  noble  plans  for  reforming  the 
religion  of  his  countrymen,  and  published  a  work  "Against 
the  Idolatry  of  all  Religions."  In  one  of  his  works  occurs 
the  following  sentence :  "  The  consequence  of  my  long  and 
uninterrupted  researches  into  religious  truth  has  been,  that  I 
have  found  the  doctrines  of  Christ  more  conducive  to  moral 
principles,  and  better  adapted  to  the  use  of  rational  beings, 
than  any  other  which  have  come  to  my  knowledge."  He  ac- 
quired a  knowledge  of  Sanscrit  and  other  languages,  that  he 
might  acquaint  himself  with  ancient  and  different  religions ; 
and  having  studied  the  Scriptures  in  Greek  and  Hebrew,  he 
published  a  work  entitled  "  The  Precepts  of  Jesus  the  Guide 
to  Peace  and  Happiness." 

"In  April,  1831,  the  rajah,  accompanied  by  his  youngest 


THE    nORSE. 


141 


son,  arrived  in  England,  where  be  was  received  with  every 
mark  of  distinction  and  respect.  In  every  kind  of  assem- 
blage, religions,  political,  literary,  and  social,  the  amenity  of 
his  manners,  his  distinguished  attainments,  and  his  universal 
philanthropy,  rendered  him  a  welcome  guest;  and  his  advice 
was  sought  by  the  English  ministers  on  topics  connected  with 
the  future  government  of  India.  He  did  not,  however,  live 
to  carry  into  effect  the  various  plans  for  improving  the  condi- 
tion of  his  countrymen,  whose  welfare  he  had  so  much  at 
heart,  having  been  taken  ill  while  on  a  visit  at  Bristol,  where 
he  expired  in  October,  1833." 

A  very  different  ambition  from  that  presented  opposite  is 
exhibited  by  these  animals,  scrabbling  to  get  ahead  of  each 


other.  They  are  like  their  masters,  or  rather  like  what  their 
masters  were  when  they  set  out  in  the  race  —  or  rather  (beg- 
ging their  pardon)  they  are  themselves  the  masters,  and  their 
riders  resemble  them.     It  is  always  so  with  those  who 

"  throw  loose  rein 


Upon  the  neck  of  headlong  Appetite"  — 

the  animal  gains  the  mastery.  It  is  a  low  ambition  that  is 
indicated  by  such  postures  as  these :  it  implies  a  doubt  in  the 
actors  whether  they  will  be  behind  or  before,  which  can  never 
be  said  of  an  artist,  or  of  a  man  of  noble  ambition.     The  am- 


142 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


bition  of  the  man  having  nothing  manly  in  it  fails,  while 
that  of  the  horse  keeps  on.  The  horse  and  his  rider  on  the 
right  side  resemble  each  other  before,  and  they  on  the  left 
side  resemble  each  other  behind.  A  jockey  picks  out  such 
an  animal  to  go  to  the  race  as  suits  him  best,  and  that  animal 
he  resembles.  People  who  run  their  horses  for  sport,  and 
drive  them  poor  and  lame,  and  break  them  down,  and  work 
them  till  they  fall  down  dead,  are,  like  those  two  fellows  on 
horseback,  as  cowardly  as  they  are  cruel;  and  the  horses  that 
are  marked  to  be  the  victims  of  such  have  their  tails  cropped, 
that  their  torment  may  be  enhanced  by  the  stings  of  insects. 
The  connection  between  cowardice  and  cruelty  was  explained 
in  the  chapter  on  the  vulture ;  and  the  persons  we  are  speak- 
ing of  resemble  carrion-birds,  and  their  perverted  horses  have 
something  of  the  same  features.  It  is  customary  with  such 
persons  to  cultivate  crossness  and  cowardice  in  their  horses 
by  special  training.  They  are  fond  of  an  impure  atmosphere, 
and  of  fermented  drink;  and  sweating  race-riders  in  a  dung- 
hill, to  reduce  their  weight,  is  an  invention  worthy  of  those 
who  resemble  vultures.  They  clip  the  tail  of  a  horse  to  show 
that  he  has  the  talent  for  "clipping  it  down"  —  the  chief 
value  in  their  eyes.     Out  on  such  artists ! 

We  have  here  presented  a  quiet  little  pony,  that  has  a  good 

master — children  of  Nature  both. 
"What  a  suitable  horse  for  this  per- 
son to  ride  !    The  symmetry  of  the 


pony  is  diminished  by  roundness,  but  in  this  it  comports  with 
the  beauty  of  youth,  as  in  the  features  of  young  Edward  YL, 


THE   HORSE. 


143 


who  must  have  inherited  this  classic  style  of  countenance  (in 
which  there  is  so  much  of  purity  and  refinement)  from  his 
mother,  Jane  Seymour,  rather  than  from  his  father,  Henry 
VIII.  Features  like  those  just  given  have  the  promise  of  per- 
fect symmetry  when  the  individual  has  arrived  at  maturity: 
hence  they  perfectly  satisfy  the  artist,  as  do  also  the  outlines 
of  a  pony  which  indicate  his  fitness  to  be  the  pet  and  servant 
of  a  child. 

The  resemblance  of  certain  people  to  asses  is  too  frequently 
spoken  of  to  allow  us  to  pass  this  animal  in  silence.    He  has 


a  trumpet  of  his  own,  which  he  will  blow  if  we  neglect  to 
speak  of  him.  Shakspere  has  hit  at  a  characteristic  trait  of 
the  person  who  resembles  an  ass,  in  making  the  stupid  fellow 
whom  he  disguised  with  an  ass's  head  say : — 

"  Scratch  my  head,  Peas-blossom.  Where 's  Mustard-seed  ?" 
And  to  the  question  of  Mustard-seed,  "  What's  your  will  ?" — 
"  Nothing,  monsieur,  but  to  help  cavaliero  Peas-blossom  to 
scratch."  For,  to  tell  the  truth,  the  person  who  resembles  an  ass 
looks  always  as  if  he  were  sitting  up  to  have  his  head  exam- 
ined, which,  of  course,  implies  the  necessity  of  somebody  "  sit- 
ting up"  to  examine  heads.  He  has  as  strong  an  inclination  to 
one  as  to  the  other,  for  he  wishes  to  "  clo  as  he  would  be  done 
by."  He  is  as  much  like  the  artist  and  the  reasoner  as  the 
ass  is  like  the  horse,  or  as  the  brain  is  like  the  face,  which 
means  simply  that  they  are  near  to  each  other — an  illustra- 
tion of  the  principle  that  "  extremes  meet."     He  is  for  making 


1U 


COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 


himself  "  thorough  in  the  rudiments ;"  requiring  eternally  to 
settle  the  question  whether  there  be  such  a  thing  as  a  founda- 
tion, before  he  will  consent  to  look  at  the  superstructure.  His 
attention  is  occupied  with  the  premises  as  the  objects  of  chief 
importance,  and  hence  he  never  gets  beyond  them.  He  will 
not  look  at  reason,  though  you  thrust  it  before  his  eyes ;  and 
though  a  fact  as  plain  as  the  nose  on  a  man's  face  be  presented 
to  him,  he  will  deny  it ! 


In  contrast  with  this,  we  here  present  a  man  of  lofty  reason, 
who  resembles  a  horse.     And  is  not  a  horse  like  this,  that 

looks  like  one  of  Aurora's,  fit  to 
resemble  an  astronomer,  a  bold 
and  original  genius,  like  Sir 
Isaac  Xewton,  one  who  stands 
as  it  were  in  the  centre  of  the 
solar  system,  and  darts  his  rays 
thence, and  comprehends  all  the 
relations  and  dependencies  with 
the  facility  and  perfection  of  a 
master  3  TTould  you  not  place 
such  a  horse  as  that  on  vantage 
ground  ?  He  looks  as  if  he  were  standing  on  a  hill,  overlook- 
ing "  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  and  the  glory  of  them." 


THE   TUKKEY. 


145 


CHAPTER   XXI 


It  is  fanny  that  a  certain  fowl  should  receive  the  good- 
natured  diminutive  which  we  apply  to  a  small,  pocket  edition 
of  the  Turk,  and  to  the  country  he  inhabits.  It  is  not  always 
that  a  name  is  significant,  but  in  the  present  instance  it  is  pe- 
culiarly so,  for  "  Turk"  and  "  turkey"  are  as  much  alike  as 
the  characters  to  which  they  are  applied ;  and  we  attach  a 
dignity  to  the  former,  derived  from  a  feeling  of  reverence, 
while  to  the  latter  we  connect  the  idea  of  ridiculous  familiar- 
ity. The  turkey  is  too  much  like  the  Turk  (who  seems  to  be 
entirely  unconscious  of  the  position 
in  which  we  have  placed  him)  to 
be  teased  by  an  allusion  to  the  in- 
dividual to  whom  he  bears  so  strong 
a  resemblance.     He  has  already  be- 


gun to  strut,  young  as  he  is,  and  to  exercise  authority,  but 
when  he  meets  with  a  stronger  than  himself  he  is  equally  a 
pattern  of  submission.  The  sign  of  his  extraordinary  love  of 
command  is  the  muscular  appendage  at  the  top  of  the  bill, 
where  the  sign  of  command  is  in  the  human  face ;  and  when 

10 


146  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

the  faculty  is  in  exercise,  this  muscle  is  contracted,  and  when 
it  is  quiescent  the  muscle  hangs  loosely  over  the  end  of  the 
bill.  The  activity  of  the  faculty  is  accompanied  with  an  ex- 
ercise of  attack — a  command  and  a  blow  —  the  dicta,  "  Hum- 
ble yourself,  and  be  my  slave  !"  This  is  the  trait  of  character 
most  remarkable  in  the  Turk.  He  makes  a  slave  of  every 
person  whom  he  can  force  to  acknowledge  the  right  of  the 
strongest,  and  to  all  others  he  is  submissive  to  the  last  degree. 
To  gratify  his  authority,  more  than  to  satisfy  his  lust,  he  pur- 
chases a  large  number  of  wives,  for  wives  in  all  countries  are 
bound  to  "  obey." 

The  sign  of  submission  in  the  turkey  is  that  fold  of  skin 
which  everybody  has  seen  hanging  down  under  the  throat, 
and  which  answers  to  the  dewlap  in  the  cow.  The  Turks  are 
like  the  English  in  reference  to  both  authority  and  submission, 
only  that  in  the  former  these  two  traits  are  still  more  extraor- 
dinary. The  government  of  a  sultan  and  a  religion  propa- 
gated by  the  sword  are  natural  to  them,  and  they  feel  no 
jealousy  toward  republicanism,  for  the  simple  reason  that 
their  country  is  not  the  soil  upon  which  it  can  grow.  Tolera- 
tion, therefore,  may  take  root  there,  and  Liberty  may  find  a 
home. 

If  the  eye  be  the  "  window  of  the  soul,"  the  spirit  of  the 
Turk  must  be  fond  of  shadow,  for  not  much  light  can  enter 
its  habitation  through  such  windows  as  those.  There  is  a 
certain  drowsy  dullness  expressed  in  them,  like  what  we  see 
in  the  turkey,  especially  wThile  young.  It  reminds  one  of 
windows  smeared  with  dirt,  through  which  midday  is  con- 
verted into  twilight ;  and  the  young  turkey  has  an  air  about 
him  well  suited  to  confirm  the  impression  that  it  is  night 
within,  and  that  the  inhabitants  are  sleeping.  There  is  some- 
thing in  the  nature  of  the  Turk  that  draws  the  curtains  over 
his  eyes ;  perhaps  it  is  bigotry :  at  all  events  he  is  very  indif- 
ferent to  light.  Houses  in  Turkey,  that  make  a  grand  show 
of  windows  at  a  distance,  are  found  on  approach  to  be  bricked 
up  in  the  places  where  light  was  supposed  to  be  admitted. 
It  is  from  this  disposition  in  the  Turk  to  make  a  show  of  glass 
without  the  reality,  that  makes  his  eye  itself  a  sort  of  blind 


THE   TURKEY. 


147 


window.     Certainly  he  is  inclined  to  receive  implicitly  what 

Mohammed  has  told  him,  and  to  be  as  thoroughly  hoodwinked 

as  this  hawk  is  that  he  holds 

on  his  arm,  and  about  which 

he  seems  to  be  pronouncing  a 

discourse. 

But  his  eyes  are  held  a  while 
in  order  that  he  may  see  more 
clearly,  and  may  use  them  to 
better  advantage :  external  light 
and  external  objects  are  shut 
out,  that  he  may  have  the  light 
of  truth,  and  may  exercise  his 
reason.    When  this  shall  be,  he 
will  bear  a  resemblance  to  birds 
of  powerful  wing,  as  the  hawk 
and  the  eagle.     The  gradations 
from  the  turkey  to  the  eagle  are 
miserable,  hard,  and  difficult. 
First,  he  will  resemble  the  tur- 
key-buzzard —  then  the  stork — 
then  the  vulture  —  then  the  ea- 
gle.    But  the  philosophy  of  this 
transition  we  can  not  stop  now 
to  describe.     Suffice  it  to  say 
that  the  quality  of  strength  in  the  turkey  is  tough,  grasping, 
and   firm,  and   altogether  like  that  of  the  eagle;   and  that 
strength   and  vigor  of  the  same  nature  are  characteristic  of 
the  Turk. 

The  poppy  is  to  the  vegetable  kingdom  what  the  turkey  is 
to  the  animal,  and  the  Turk  resembles  them  both.  The  tur- 
ban resembles  poppy-leaves,  and  the  head  containing  the  seed 
is  like  that  of  the  Turk.  There  is  a  connection  between 
"  Turkey  opium"  and  the  drowsiness  of  those  eyes.  As  sleep 
is  more  appropriate  to  children  than  to  grown  people,  the 
eyes  of  young  turkeys  are  particularly  sleepy ;  they  have  not 
waked  up  yet ;  and  the  same  expression  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Turk  indicates  that  there  is  vast  promise  of  something  worth 


148  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

seeing  for  which  the  eyesight  is  being  reserved.  Opium  is 
suited  to  the  idiosyncracy  of  the  Turk,  and  hence  he  can 
smoke  it  with  comparative  impunity;  and  children  can  bear 
this  drug  better  than  adults,  for  the  simple  reason  that  much 
sleep  is  natural  to  them.  If  there  is  a  strong  tendency  to 
sleep,  and  the  person  is  kept  awake  by  pain,  an  opiate  in  ex- 
act proportion  to  the  sleepiness  does  not  act  as  poison ;  but  if 
it  is  taken  to  produce  sleepiness,  or  simply  to  subdue  pain,  it 
is  deadly.  If  physicians  and  other  people  did  but  know  this, 
how  much  suffering  and  death  would  be  avoided  ! 

The  Turk  and  the  turkey  resemble  the  Arab  and  the  camel. 
The  Turk  inclines  partly  to  inhabit  Arabia,  and  of  course  to 
rule  there,  for  his  love  of  command  is  as  unbounded  as  that 
of  the  turkey.  Yet  he  receives  his  religion  from  the  Arab, 
thus  acknowledging  his  inferiority — as  the  turkey,  if  he  were 
endowed  with  reason,  must  needs  acknowledge  his  inferiority 
to  the  camel,  and  at  the  same  time  desire  to  rule  him.  The 
turkey  is  slovenly  in  his  eating,  as  the  camel  is ;  he  "  gobbles 
down"  his  food,  and  this  manner  of  eating  is  to  be  observed 
in  connection  with  the  voice  in  the  person  who  resembles  the 
gobbler.  The  young  bird  peeps  with  his  voice  as  well  as  with 
his  eyes ;  and  the  same  principle  is  true  of  the  old  bird  in 
respect  to  gobbling,  for  the  eyes  are  connected  with  the  appe- 
tite for  food,  and  they  gobble  also.  The  characteristic  of  the 
eye,  the  voice,  and  the  appetite,  is  want  of  discrimination, 
and  this  is  connected  with  the  love  of  command.  In  respect 
to  bis  voice,  it  is  —  "  Hussle  'em  out!"  and  his  actions  at  the 
moment  respond  heartily  to  this  sentiment;  in  respect  to  the 
eyes,  it  is  —  "Hussle  'em  about!"  a  sentiment  to  which  his 
movements,  his  display  of  feathers,  and  his  whole  body,  re- 
spond;  in  respect  to  his  appetite,  it  is  — "  Hussle  'em  in!" 
and  it  is  no  sooner  said  than  done. 

This  is  the  manner  in  which  the  Turk  receives  and  delivers 
his  sentiments.  In  respect  to  faith,  he  "eats  what  is  set  be- 
fore him,  asking  no  questions,  for  conscience'  sake  ;"  and 
what  he  cats  he  thinks  is  good  enough  for  others,  and  he  is 
sure  to  offer  it  to  them ;  it  is  not  the  love  of  proselyting,  or 
the  love  of  command  merely,  but  it  it  is  partly  hospitality, 


THE   TURKEY. 


149 


that  prompts  him  to  do  so.  In  the  young  Turk  faith  is  more 
blind  than  in  the  old ;  and  the  eyes,  like  the  faculties  of  the 
mind,  are  peeping.  In  this 
portrait  of  the  present  sultan 
of  Turkey,  Abdul-Medjid, 
the  eyes  are  of  this  descrip- 
tion, resembling  those  of  a 
young  turkey.  From  such 
features  we  might  expect  a 
great  deal  if  the  eyes  were 
open,  and  were  not  continu- 
ally peeping  after  their  own 
interests.  The  young  tur- 
key's voice  peeps  incessant-  /*" 
ly,  and  so  do  his  eyes.  Louis 
Napoleon's  eyes  are  of  the 
same  character,  except  that 
they  are  carnivorous,  and  re- 
semble more  the  eyes  of  a  turkey-buzzard  or  a  stork.  Such 
eyes  can  have  faith  in  the  dreams  of  the  alchemists,  and  can 
engage  in  a  search  for  the  philosopher's  stone,  confident  of 
filling  coffers  with  gold  and  of  creating  an  inexhaustible  treas- 
ury, as  was  the  case  with  the  individual  last  mentioned. 
But  let  us  glance  at  some  of  the  more  obvious,  external  re- 
semblances between  the 
turkey  and  the  Turk. 
There  is  a  great  abun- 


150 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


dance  and  looseness  of  dress,  and  freedom  of  all  parts  of  the 
body,  and  thus  a  remarkably  dowdy  appearance,  in  the  one 
biped  as  well  as  in  the  other.  The  sort  of  tippet  that  hangs 
from  the  breast  of  the  turkey  reminds  us  of  something  pecu- 
liar in  the  dress  of  the  Turk,  and  the  Turkish  cloak  and  trow- 
sers  are  amazingly  in  keeping  with  the  feathers  of  the  turkey 
when  he  displays  them  to  the  best  advantage.  We  may  call 
him  a  foolish  bird,  and  say  that  there  is  no  use  to  call  him  so, 
for  that  — 

"  Pride  steps  in  to  his  defence, 

And  fills  up  all  the  mighty  void  of  sense" — 

and  this  is  true  of  the  Turk.  But  he  is  also  too  proud  to  be 
mean ;  he  is  honorable  and  sincere  ;  he  eschews  cunning  and 
hypocrisy;  you  see  no  cunning  in  either  the  turkey  or  the 
Turk.  If  he  is  in  power,  he  bids  defiance  to  all  the  world. 
It  is  only  when  his  challenge  is  accepted  that  he  acknowl- 
edges a  superior.  But  he  does  not  fight.  The  moment  he  is 
not  the  master,  he  is  the  slave.  He  has  the  highest  possible 
respect  for  "  the  powers  that  be ;"  so  that  he  has  a  certain 
"  sublime  port"  about  him  whether  he  be  the  sultan  or  not. 

Among  the  many  excellent  traits  of  the  turkey  we  will 
mention  only  this,  the  instinct  to  cure  disease.  He  is  a  doc- 
tor, and  all  the  young  turkeys  that  are  born  in  a  state  of 
nature  have  to  be  dosed  and  drugged  before  they  can 

"  Wheel  about,  and  turn  about,  and  do  just  so, 
And  every  time  they  wheel  about  jump  Jim  Crow" — 

for  this  kind  of  exercise 
makes  people  sick,  and 
the  turkey  practises  up- 
on the  principle  that  an 
ounce  of  prevention  is 
worth  a  pound  of  cure. 
The  doctor  we  have  on 
the  opposite  page  is  not 
a  juvenile  turkey  :  the 
"  windows  of  his  soul" 
are  open ;  he  is  not  a  Turk,  but  he  is  like  one,  and  wears  a 


B*. 


THE   TURKEY. 


151 


turban  from  a  sense  of  what  is  becoming  to  him,  or  from  nat- 
ural choice,  and  he  looks  enough  like  the  turkey  to  be  said 
to  have  a  strong  family  like- 
ness to  that  bird.     You  may 
be  sure  that  he  is  a  good 
physician,  that  he  has  very 
great  desire  to  be  honored 
and   to    "  render  honor   to 
whom   honor   is   due,"  and 
that  he  is  exceedingly  hon- 
orable.    That  he  is  proud, 
and  would  make  the  cow- 
ardly  slaves    tremble,    and 
that  he  is  so  ambitious  of 
esteem  that  he  is  the  first  to 
set  the  example, or  to  do  him- 
self reverence,  and  that  he 
is  not  afraid  to  solicit  the  honor  he  is  entitled  to,  can  not  be 
denied ;  but  he  endeavors  to  merit  the  grand  object  of  his 
desires,  and  that  gives  him  an  unusual  degree  of  merit,  so 
that  those  who  see  his  good  qualities  overlook  his  egotism, 
and  consider  his  pride  and  vanity  as  spots  on  the  sun,  that 
diminish  nothing  from  the  splendor  of  his  beams.    "Who  could 
expect  anything  contrary  to  this  in  the  man  who  resembles 
the  turkey,  or,  what  is  very  nearly  the  same  thing,  the  Turk? 
By  wishing  to  resemble  the  great  and  honorable,  he  pays 
them  a  compliment,  and  himself  too. 


152 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


CHAPTER   XXII. 


The  turkey  has  a  rival.  The  peacock  can  outvie  him  in 
splendor,  but  not  in  pride ;  in  vain-glory,  but  not  in  ambition 
to  excel.  That  the  dispositions  which  are  prominent  in  the 
peacock  have  their  seat  in  the  human  breast,  has  been  too 
often  observed  to  require  a  formal  argument  in  proof  of  the 
assertion.  We  shall  therefore  proceed  to  the  comparison  of 
certain  persons  with  the  peacock  sans  ceremonie.  Whoever 
resembles  this  bird  ought  to  possess  qualities  worthy  of  admi- 
ration, and  also  an  extraordinary  degree  of  the  love  of  admi- 
ring and  of  being  admired.  No  one  need  be  told  that  in  the 
tournure  and  entire  air  and  manner  of  this  lady  there  is  an 

imitation  of  the  peacock 
—  the  skirt  flows  behind 
in  an  ethereal  beauty 
that  is  better  imagined 
than  represented  in  ink, 
and  that  will  admit  of 
no  comparison  but  to 
the  tail  of  the  peacock ; 
the  neck  and  chest  seem 
glistening  with  varied 
hues,  as  they  turn  to 
catch  the  rays  of  the 
sun  in  different  direc- 
tions ;  the  head  is  wor- 
thy of  a  queen,  and  the 
eye  is  heavenly.  This, 
at  least,  is  the  idea  intended  to  be  conveyed.  In  every  part 
of  the  peacock  there  is  something  delectable ;  his  flesh  was 
as  highly  pleasing  to  the  epicurean  tastes  of  the  Romans  as 


THE   PEACOCK.  153 

his  external  appearance  is  pleasing  to  the  artistic  taste  of  the 
most  polished  and  refined. 

Those  who  cultivate  the  appearance  and  manners  of  the 
peacock,  possess  the  same  traits  of  character — the  same  im- 
pulses, motives,  and  promptings  —  modified,  of  course,  by  the 
faculties  that  are  peculiarly  human.  The  beauty  which  sur- 
rounds them  is  an  outbirth  of  an  innate  appreciation  of  the 
beautiful,  together  with  the  love  of  self ;  and  hence  they  ad- 
mire it  with  the  fervency  of  self-love.  In  other  words,  they 
admire  nothing, so  much  as  themselves  :  they  are  filled  with 
vanity,  and  they  believe  that  they  are  equally  admired  by 
others ;  or,  if  not,  they  desire  to  be,  and  they  do  all  in  their 
power  to  eclipse  the  beauty  of  every  other  object.  They  vie 
with  each  other  for  the  reason  that  there  would  be  no  glory 
without  conquest ;  but  they  are  too  conscious  of  their  power, 
and  admire  themselves  too  much,  to  feel  any  great  degree  of 
jealousy  for  a  rival  beauty.  Peacocks  vie  with  each  other, 
and  there  is  a  sort  of  self-love  in  this,  for  together  they  form 
a  galaxy  of  stars,  the  glory  of  which  is  the  property  of  each, 
so  that  each  one  may  boast  of  the  splendor  of  the  whole  as  if 
it  were  his  own.  This  is  a  degree  of  refinement  of  self-love, 
however,  to  which  the  literal  peacock  is  incapable  of  arriving, 
and  for  this  simple  reason :  in  this  degree  of  selfishness  there 
is  the  opportunity  and  the  demand  that  man  should  love  his 
neighbor  as  himself.  "What  a  beautiful  superstructure,  then, 
may  be  reared  upon  a  resemblance  to  the  peacock !  what  a 
magnificent  temple  of  humanity !  But  we  shall  see  more  of 
this  by-and-by. 

It  is  evident  enough  that  there  are  very  many  people  who 
resemble  peacocks ;  but  the  resemblance  in  physiognomy 
which  indicates  the  resemblance  in  character  is  not  easily 
described.  The  most  expressive  things  are  the  most  inex- 
pressible. Besides,  it  very  frequently  happens  that  the  per- 
son who  resembles  the  peacock  loses  himself  in  dress  and 
equipage,  like  the  peacock  in  the  splendor  and  magnificence 
of  his  plumage.  Nevertheless,  there  is  to  be  discovered  a 
similarity  in  countenance,  particularly  in  the  eye.  In  the 
following  portrait  of  a  Persian  the  resemblance  is  expressed, 


151 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


not  only  in  the  features,  but  in  a  look  that  is  inexpressible, 
except  by  the  idea  that  is  conveyed  of  this  magnificent  fowl. 


rz^^e^ 


The  fashion  of  that  beard  more,  even,  than  the  quantity,  re- 
minds us  of  the  words,  "Thou  hast  more  hair  on  thy  chin, 
than  Dobbin,  my  fill-horse,  has  on  his  tail."  What  could  be 
more  peacock-like  than  the  nose,  the  eyes,  the  softly-feathered 
head,  and  even  the  beard  spreading  all  around,  like  rays,  and 
dyed  according  to  the  taste  of  the  owner?  And  if  so  much 
can  be  conveyed  in  an  engraving,  how  much  more  might  be 
done  with  colors !  The  Persians,  be  it  observed,  are  in  the 
habit  of  staining  their  beards,  and  in  one  stage  of  the  process 
it  is  a  brilliant  red,  in  which  stage  the  vulgar  class  prefer  to 
leave  it.  The  Persians  are,  in  fact,  wonderfully  like  the  pea- 
cock in  character  and  externals.  Whatever  comes  to  us  from 
Persia  conveys  this  impression.     Their  fabrics,  in  the  quality 


THE    PEACOCK.  155 

of  their  construction,  and  in  the  form  and  color  of  their  fig- 
ures, are  like  the  head,  neck,  body,  and  tail,  of  the  peacock, 
and  outvie  those  of  every  other  country  :  all  things  together, 
they  are  magnificent  in  the  extreme.  The  Persians  are  de- 
lighted with  positive  colors,  and  with  the  bold,  glaring,  daz- 
zling, glittering  effects  that  are  produced  by  them,  in  contra- 
distinction from  the  neutral  tints,  which  they  have  no  taste 
for.  They  rival  the  peacock  in  the  wide  field  which  they 
demand  for  the  display  of  their  persons,  in  the  splendor  of 
their  attire,  and  in  everything  that  surrounds  them. 

In  every  country,  those  who  resemble  the  peacock  rival 
their  beau-ideal  in  the  circumference  of  their  skirts,  and  in 
the  train  they  carry  behind  them.  The  peacock  elevates  his 
tail,  or  depresses  it,  according  to  his  caprice ;  and  sometimes, 
when  he  lives  in  town,  where  he  is  a  miserable  bird,  he  trails 
it  in  the  dirt :  and  so  it  is  with  those  who  resemble  him.  As 
to  sweeping  the  ground  with  beauty  that  is  fit  to  be  elevated 
among  the  stars,  it  is  indispensable  to  those  daws  that  borrow 
the  tail  of  the  peacock  in  order  to  be  fashionable,  and  have 
no  power  to  elevate  it.  But  the  person  who  resembles  the 
peacock  should  not  defile  his  garments.  He  is  worse  than 
the  pretender  if  he  does,  because  he  is  capable  of  higher 
things.  It  is  worse  to  profane  heavenly  things  than  to  act 
the  hypocrite ;  and  the  person  who  resembles  the  peacock, 
and  understands  the  correspondence  of  its  plumage,  is  capa- 
ble of  a  lower  degree  of  degradation,  venality,  and  crime, 
than  the  person  who  does  not. 

The  distinguishing  features  of  the  Persians  are  all  included 
in  their  resemblance  to  the  peacock.  The  fondness  for  ex- 
travagant display  implies  a  love  of  riches,  for  the  reason  that 
these  extravagances  require  wealth,  and  are  termed  rich  and 
costly.  Diamonds,  gold,  and  gems,  the  property  of  the 
wealthy,  form  an  essential  part  of  this  splendor  and  magnifi- 
cence. The  Persians  have  a  passion  for  these  things.  The 
means  for  gratifying  it  can  come  by  no  natural  process,  but 
must  be  obtained  by  some  diabolical  incantation,  or  by  the 
help  of  some  "  good  genius  that  turns  everything  into  gold." 
They  are  properly  limited  to  a  few ;  and  when  vast  numbers 


156  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

have  the  desire  for  princely  wealth  and  splendor,  as  is  the 
case  in  Persia,  they  resort  to  dishonest,  artful,  magical  con- 
trivances, to  gain  their  end.  As  a  matter  of  course,  all  of 
them  have  the  ambition  to  be  courtiers,  and  to  get  as  near  to 
royalty  as  possible.  Courtiers  in  Persia  are  very  numerous, 
and  of  this  class  Mr.  Fraser  says  :  "  Dissimulation  and  flat- 
tery are  their  chief  study;  their  minds  are  occupied  with  in- 
trigue, and  their  time  in  amassing,  by  the  most  flagitious 
methods,  that  wealth  which  their  extravagance  requires." 

Poverty  must  necessarily  accompany  this  extravagance  and 
this  unnatural  production  of  the  means  of  gratifying  it.  The 
Persians  spend  everything  upon  their  backs,  and  therefore 
their  wealth  is  superficial,  and  its  influence  is  of  short  dura- 
tion. Their  income  is  never  equal  to  their  fondness  for  admi- 
ration, and  falls  as  far  below  their  love  of  splendor  and  parade 
as  their  heads  fall  below  the  rainbow  in  the  sky,  or  as  much 
as  the  noddle  of  the  peacock  is  beneath  its  tail  when  the  lat- 
ter is  elevated  to  an  imitation  of  the  rainbow.  They  run  in 
debt,  they  borrow,  they  substitute  tinsel  for  gold,  they  cheat, 
and  they  steal,  all  for  the  sake  of  "  keeping  up  appearances." 
They  prey  upon  each  other ;  a  display  of  wealth  is  a  tempta- 
tion to  a  stronger  to  come  and  seize  it :  hence  they  are  divided 
between  a  desire  of  displaying  whatever  wealth  they  may  be 
possessed  of  and  a  fear  of  losing  it.  They  complain  of  pov- 
erty, at  the  same  time  that  they  make  a  show  of  the  opposite, 
wishing  to  keep  their  neighbors  in  a  state  of  dubiousness  as 
to  the  real  state  of  their  finances.  But  their  love  of  dazzling 
the  eyes  of  beholders  is  so  great,  that  the  poverty  they  com- 
plain of  is  as  sure  to  come  as  the  glories  which  the  peacock 
displays  are  sure  to  fall.  It  is  only  when  "  riches  take  to 
themselves  wings  and  fly  away"  that  they  shine  in  all  the 
lustre  and  beauty  which  the  Persian  so  greatly  admires. 


As  birds 


When  mounted  on  the  wing,  their  glossy  plumes 
Expanded,  shine  with  azure,  green,  and  gold, 
So  blessings  brighten  as  they  take  their  flight." 

And  the  Persians  would  do  nothing  to  lessen  the  brightness 
of  those  blessings  which  they  so  ardently  crave.     Says  Char- 


THE   PEACOCK.  157 

din:  "They  are  the  greatest  spendthrifts  in  the  world  ;  they 
can  not  keep  their  money  :  let  them  receive  ever  so  much,  it 
is  immediately  spent.  Let  the  shah,  for  example,  give  one 
of  them  fifty  thousand  or  one  hundred  thousand  livres,  in  fif- 
teen days  it  will  all  be  disposed  of.  He  buys  slaves  of  either 
sex ;  seeks  out  for  mistresses  ;  sets  up  a  grand  establishment ; 
dresses  and  furnishes  sumptuously;  and  expends  at  a  rate 
which,  unless  other  means  present  themselves,  renders  him 
speedily  penniless.  In  less  than  two  months  we  see  our  gen- 
tleman commencing  to  get  quit  of  all  his  finery:  his  horses 
go  first;  then  his  supernumerary  servants ;  then  his  mistres- 
ses ;  then,  one  by  one,  his  slaves ;  and,  finally,  piece  by  piece, 
his  clothes." 

Thus  suddenly  rises  the  tail  of  the  peacock,  like  a  halo  of 
glory,  and  thus  fades  the  glory  from  the  sky  when  the  pride 
that  caused  it  has  expended  itself  in  the  accomplishment  of 
the  grand  design  !  And  this  is  not  regarded  by  the  Persian 
as  a  misfortune,  for  it  is  natural  to  him.  The  rising  and  falling 
are  in  proportion  to  each  other : — 

"As  well  expect  eternal  suns  and  cloudless  skies" 

as  that  such  a  tail  as  the  peacock  possesses  should  be  con- 
stantly elevated,  or  that  such  a  fortune  as  the  Persian  delights 
in  should  be  for  ever  in  the  ascendant.  The  base  interpreta- 
tion of  the  doctrine  that  "  he  that  exalteth  himself  shall  be 
abased,  and  he  that  humbleth  himself  shall  be  exalted,"  is 
exhibited  in  the  Persian.  Alternations  of  humility  and  pride 
are  natural  to  him ;  but  as  his  humility  is  the  result  of  his 
pride,  and  as  his  pride  is  not  based  upon  humility,  he  is  too 
literal  in  his  resemblance  to  the  peacock,  and  is  no  illustra- 
tion of  the  heavenly  things  which  the  beauties  of  the  peacock 
correspond  to.  The  splendor  that  surrounds  him  is  born  of 
prosperity  and  adversity,  as  the  rainbow  is  born  of  sunshine 
and  shower ;  and  its  height  is  in  the  brief  interval  between 
the  extremes  of  each,  as  the  hues  of  Iris  are  most  beautiful 
when  the  mists  are  thin  and  the  sun  is  descending.  His  de- 
lights are  the  product  of  the  union  of  opposites ;  and  as  pros- 
perity and  misfortune  are  the  mutual  causes  of  his  happiness, 


158  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

he  has  a  sort  of  filial  affection  for  them  both.  This  is  one  of 
the  reasons  why  he  represents  himself  on  the  one  hand  to  be 
poor  and  miserable,  and  on  the  other  to  be  "  rich,  and  in- 
creased in  goods,  and  in  need  of  nothing."  He  has  no  sensi- 
bility to  disgrace  :  he  can  plead  poverty  as  a  recommendation 
to  favor  as  easily  as  he  can  present  beauty  as  a  claim  to  it. 
He  is  as  mean  in  his  humility  as  he  is  arrogant  in  his  pride. 
He  is  demoralized  by  the  government  more  than  by  his  own 
degree  of  the  peacock  propensity,  for  those  who  are  in  power 
have  this  propensity  in  greater  excess  than  the  governed. 
Says  Mr.  Fraser : — 

"  A  minister  or  governor  offends  the  shah,  or  is  made  the 
object  of  accusation,  justly  or  unjustly.  He  is  condemned, 
perhaps  unheard ;  his  property  is  confiscated  ;  his  slaves  are 
given  to  others ;  his  family  and  wives  are  insulted,  perhaps 
given  over  to  the  brutality  of  grooms  and  feroshes  ;  and  his 
person  is  maltreated  with  blows,  or  mutilated  by  the  execu- 
tioner's knife.  Xothing  can  be  imagined  more  complete  than 
such  a  degradation;  nothing,  one  would  imagine,  could  be 
more  poignant  than  his  anguish,  or  more  deep  and  deadly 
than  his  hatred  and  thirst  for  revenge.  Yet  these  reverses 
are  considered  merely  as  among  the  casualties  of  service,  as 
clouds  obscuring  for  a  while  the  splendor  of  courtly  fortune, 
but  which  will  soon  pass  away,  and  permit  the  sun  of  pros- 
perity to  shine  again  in  its  fullest  lustre ;  and  experience 
proves  that  these  calculations  are  correct,  for  the  storm  often 
blows  by  as  rapidly  as  it  comes  on.  Royal  caprice  receives 
the  sufferer  again  into  favor ;  his  family  is  sent  back  to  him, 
with  such  of  his  slaves  as  can  be  recovered  ;  and  his  property, 
pruned  of  all  dangerous  exuberance,  is  returned.  A  bath 
mollifies  his  bruised  feet ;  a  cap  conceals  his  cropped  ears ; 
a  Jchelut  covers  the  multitude  of  sins  and  stains,  and  proves 
a  sovereign  remedy  for  all  misfortunes  ;  and  the  whitewashed 
culprit  is  often  reinstated  in  the  very  government  he  had  lost, 
perhaps  carrying  with  him  a  sentence  of  disgrace  to  his  suc- 
cessor, to  whose  intrigues  he  owed  his  temporary  fall." 

Could  such  things  exist  in  any  other  country  than  Persia, 
or  be  said  of  any  other  people  than  of  those  who  resemble 


THE   PEACOCK.  159 

peacocks  ?  The  Persians  are  so  insensible  to  disgrace,  that 
"to  give  the  lie  directly  is  not  deemed  an  insult.  ^ JEen  du- 
rough  ustf  ('  It  is  a  lie')  is  as  common  an  expression,  used 
without  offence  from  one  Persian  to  another,  as  '  Gou  khoiircl? 
('  He  has  eaten  filth,'  equivalent  to  '  He  has  lied')  is  in  speak- 
ing of  another,  even  in  the  highest  ranks."  It  is  impossible 
that  insensibility  to  disgrace  alone  could  account  for  this  :  it 
is  to  be  accounted  for  partly  by  the  fact  that  lying  is  natural 
to  them  by  virtue  of  their  resemblance  to  the  peacock,  which 
implies  a  love  for  "  false  and  deceptive  appearances."  —  "  Be- 
lieve me,  for,  though  a  Persian,  I  am  speaking  truth,"  is  a 
common  exclamation  to  those  who  doubt  their  veracity.  What 
is  this  but  a  profession  that  a  Persian  has  a  right  to  speak 
falsehood?  And  so  he  has,  if  he  is  to  resemble  the  peacock 
literally.  "Who  does  not  see  in  the  heavenly  hues  and  deli- 
cate fringes  of  that  sweeping  train  something  supernal,  and 
does  not  transfer  them  in  his  imagination  to  a  being  far  more 
worthy  of  them  than  this  foolish,  good-for-nothing  fowl  ?  The 
man  who  imagines  that  he  is  that  person,  and  attempts  to 
rival  the  peacock,  deceives  himself,  and  blazons  a  falsehood 
before  the  eyes  of  all  who  see  him.  He  deceives  himself  and 
others  with  the  idea  that  he  is  a  superior  being  :  thus  he  adds 
profanation  to  falsehood.  If  he  can  be  guilty  of  the  former, 
it  is  not  strange  that  he  will  as  readily  admit  that  he  is  a  liar 
as  anything  else. 

"Where  everything  is  outside  show,  what  can  there  be  of 
worth  within?  How  hollow-hearted,  vain,  fickle,  and  capri- 
cious, the  people  must  be  who  resemble  the  peacock,  and  who 
do  not  convert  this  resemblance  into  a  correspenclence  of  the 
graces  which  the  most  exquisite  beauty  consists  in  !  Lavish- 
ing everything  upon  external  accomplishments,  intent  upon 
enlarging  his  dimensions,  cutting  a  wide  swell,  and  requiring 
room  for  his  dress  as  the  peacock  does  for  his  tail,  the  Persian 
must  of  necessity  be  heartless,  coarse,  and  vulgar.  He  ex- 
erts his  utmost  to  convert  himself  into  the  form  of  a  bubble 
that  is  transparent,  beautifully  colored,  and  is  sure  to  burst. 
Vastness  and  splendor  are  the  thoughts  that  occupy  him,  and 
they  vastate  him  of  everything  pure,  refined,  and  noble.    You 


160 


COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 


can  see  the  peacock  strut  in  his  legs,  solar  effulgence  in  his 
body,  and  unbounded  self-admiration  in  his  eye.     Such  a 

body  is  formed  to  cre- 
ate a  vacuum,  and  to 
draw  everything  after 
it,  as  with  his  tail  the 
great  red  dragon  drew 
down  the  third  part  of 
heaven,  and  the  stars, 
in  imitation,  it  may  be, 
of  the  peacock ! 

The  resemblance  of 
the   Persian   ladies   to 
their  embodied  divinity 
is  as  literal  as  that  of 
the  men.    They  are  un- 
scrupulous in  painting 
their  faces — using  va- 
rious colors  for  that  pur- 
pose—  and  stain  their 
nails  with  henna,  and 
print  fanciful  figures  on 
their  persons  by  tattoo- 
ing, besides  setting  the 
example  of  that  kind  of 
dress  that  is  appropriated  chiefly  by  females  who  are  destitute 
of  modesty  and  virtue.     If  the  men  are  coarse  and  vulgar, 
the  women  are  more  so,  for  the  perversion  is  greater.     "  They 
are  utterly  wanting,"  says  the  last-mentioned  authority,  "  in 
all  that  delicacy  of  sentiment  and  language  which  is  the 
charm  of  females  in  more  refined  countries ;  and,  ignorant  of 
what  we  consider  propriety,  they  express  themselves  on  all 
subjects  with  disgusting  grossness."     Their  passion  for  exter- 
nal beauty  is  like  that  of  the  peacock  :  it  is  no  proof  of  a  love 
of  that  which  this  beauty  conceals,  and  which  it  is  intended 
to  express.     The  peacock,  with  his  beautiful  plumage,  is  a 
vulgar  bird,  and  is  regarded  with  disrespect.     The  reason 
why  the  pheasant  and  the  bird  of  paradise  are  not  so  regarded 


THE   PEACOCK.  161 

is  that  they  make  no  display  of  their  attractions,  but  wear 
them  modestly,  and  thus  gracefully,  like  one  who  is  made 
more  conspicuous  by  her  beauty  than  she  desires.  In  a  bird 
that  shows  his  feathers  as  if  he  were  admiring  himself  in  a 
glass,  and  were  practising  manners  before  it,  the  glancing 
and  varying  hues  remind  us  of  fickleness  and  insincerity. 
They  indicate  something  unworthy  of  confidence,  and  which 
therefore  it  is  not  possible  to  feel  an  affection  for.  The  pea- 
cock race  are  admired,  but  not  loved.  They  are  arrogant  and 
overbearing  when  they  have  the  ability  to  be  so;  and  when 
they  have  not,  they  are  as  polished  in  manners,  as  lively  and 
acute,  as  mild  and  courteous,  as  they  are  deceitful  and  treach- 
erous. Such  is  described  to  be  the  character  of  the  Persian 
court ;  and  when  we  see  the  peacock  displaying  himself,  we 
receive  an  impression  of  corresponding  dispositions  and  quali- 
ties in  the  bird. 

The  peacock  is  beautiful  in  the  extreme,  and  is  regarded 
with  extreme  admiration.  But  the  extreme  of  beauty  is  the 
most  external ;  it  is  the  least  substantial,  and  the  farthest  re- 
moved from  love,  which  is  the  centre  ;  it  has  no  sensitiveness, 
no  tenderness ;  it  is  destitute  of  heart  and  soul ;  it  is  fading 
and  transitory  ;  it  is  driven  forth  to  the  outskirts  ;  it  is  j  ust 
upon  the  borders  of  Cimmerian  darkness  ;  and  its  "passing 
away"  is  represented  in  the  extreme  beauty  of  the  extremity 
of  the  long  tail  of  the  peacock.  "What,  then,  must  be  the 
character  of  those  who  spend  their  lives  in  admiration  of  the 
extreme  of  beauty?  Their  souls  are  spent,  wasted,  in  the 
object  of  their  lives ;  and  their  lives  are  wasted;  and  they 
expire  in  darkness.  Yying  with  others  in  dress  and  in  mere 
brilliancy  of  eyes  and  complexion,  admiring  themselves  su- 
premely and  seeking  the  extreme  admiration  of  others,  court- 
ing flatteries  and  delighted  with  adulation,  they  are  the  vic- 
tims of  those  whose  tastes  are  as  superficial  and  whose  pro- 
fessions are  as  hollow  as  their  own ;  and  in  the  specious  ap- 
pearance of  love,  purity,  sincerity,  devotion,  and  honor,  they 
suffer  an  entire  loss  of  them  all. 

If  this  be  so,  what  becomes  of  the  principle  that  external 
beauty  corresponds  to  internal?     If  internal  beauty  shows 

11 


162  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

itself  in  beauty  of  the  outside,  how  is  it  that  the  Persians, 
the  Circassians,  the  Georgians,  and  others  that  might  be  men- 
tioned, are  not  better?  Why  was  the  beautiful  marchioness 
de  Brinvillier  such  a  fiend  incarnate  ?  Byron  has  said,  some- 
what spitefully  and  somewhat  truly: — 

"Your  thief  looks  in  the  crowd 

Exactly  like  trie  rest,  or  rather  better ; 

'T  is  only  at  the  bar,  or  in  the  dungeon, 

That  wise  men  know  your  felon  by  his  features." 

It  should  be  observed,  however,  that  in  all  these  cases  men 
are  not  guided  by  a  knowledge  of  the  signs  of  character  in 
the  face,  but  are  captivated  by  the  extreme  of  beauty,  which 
consists  of  "  false  and  deceptive  appearances,"  and  are  such 
as  are  discovered  in  the  peacock.  Besides  that,  those  wTho 
resemble  this  bird  have  great  power  of  art,  as  those  have 
who  resemble  the  horse ;  and  as  the  highest  art  is  perfection, 
or  the  extreme  of  beauty,  its  perversion  is  the  extreme  of 
falsehood  and  deception.  In  all  nature,  the  beauty  we  are 
speaking  of  is  unsubstantial  and  idle  —  as  in  the  rainbow,  the 
flower,  and  the  butterfly.  A  sunbeam  glancing  on  water,  or 
darting  through  crystal,  is  not  the  index  of  a  soul ;  the  greater 
the  distance  of  an  object,  or  the  more  extreme,  the  more  de- 
ceptive is  its  appearance.  We  are  sure  to  be  taken  by  peo- 
ple at  a  distant  view  of  them,  or  when  they  make  their  first 
impression  upon  us  through  the  medium  of  some  disguise ; 
but  we  find  afterward  that  — 

"  'Tis  distance  lends  enchantment  to  the  view, 
And  robes  the  mountain  in  its  azure  hue  !" 

or,  as  to  the  disguises,  and  to  be  more  particular  as  to  the 
traits  of  character  we  discover — 

"  So  the  blue  summit  of  some  mountain  height, 
Wrapped  in  gay  clouds,  deludes  the  distant  sight; 
But  as  with  gazing  eyes  we  draw  more  near, 
Fades  the  false  scene,  and  the  rough  rocks  appear." 

But  we  are  very  likely  to  ascribe  the  deception  from  this 
cause  to  the  object  itself,  when  in  fact  the  object  makes  no 
pretensions  to  be  anything  but  what  it  really  is,  and  the  de- 


THE    PEACOCK.  ■     163 

ception  lies  in  ourselves  and  in  the  circumstances.  Besides, 
the  object  at  hand  may  be  far  better  than  the  "false  scene" 
which  we  admired  at  first;  but  disappointment  or  pride  may- 
prevent  us  from  acknowledging  this,  and  thus  many  a  worthy 
person  is  injured  and  abused  to  his  face  by  those  who  admired 
him  at  a  distance. 

The  exterior  beauty  which  corresponds  to  the  interior,  and 
by  which  we  can  read  the  character,  is  something  intrinsic, 
at  the  same  time  that  it  is  exterior;  whereas,  the  extreme  of 
beauty  that  we  are  speaking  of  is  extrinsic,  superficial,  or  less 
than  that,  a  mere  gilding  of  the  surface.  By  the  interior  we 
mean  the  soul,  and  by  the  exterior  the  body  (including  the 
signs  of  all  the  faculties),  which  is  an  index  of  the  former  :  by 
the  external  we  mean  the  hue  and  complexion,  the  garments, 
the  manners,  and  the  external  accomplishments ;  and  by  the 
internal  we  mean  something  more  excellent  than  the  soul  — 
something  central,  the  index  of  which  is  the  highest  and  most 
transcendent  beauty.  Thus  heaven  is  within,  and  heaven  is 
above.  The  sky,  where  the  azure,  the  gold,  and  everything  in 
the  plumage  of  the  peacock,  are  most  displayed,  is  heaven,  and 
heaven  is  within  the  soul :  it  is  there  that  man  may  hold  com- 
munion with  God  and  with  angels,  and  yet  the  dwelling-place 
of  these  is  above,  in  the  region  of  that  extreme  beauty  which 
is  paradise,  in  like  manner  as  the  soul  is  in  the  body.  How 
sweet  and  wonderful!  how  intensely  we  realize  it,  and  yet 
how  incomprehensible  it  is ! 

The  resemblance  of  the  Persians  to  the  peacock  fits  them 
for  the  highest  perfection  to  which  human  beings  can  aspire. 
But  they  attain  to  the  very  opposite.  "  Pomp  and  ceremony 
are  the  delight  of  all  Persians.  They  form,  in  fact,  a  part  of 
the  system  of  government,  which  is  considered  indispensable 
to  the  maintenance  of  authority.  They  term  the  gorgeous 
magnificence  that  surrounds  their  kings  and  rulers  the  '  cloth- 
ing of  the  state.'  —  'You  may  speak  to  the  ears  of  others,' 
was  the  reply  of  an  intelligent  native  to  an  Englishman's  re- 
mark on  this  subject,  '  but  if  you  would  be  understood  by  my 
countrymen  you  must  address  their  eyes.'"  So  says  a  de- 
scriber  of  the  history  and  manners  of  the  Persians ;  and  we 


164      •  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

suppose  that  there  is  some  connection  between  the  substitu- 
tion of  eves  for  ears,  just  alluded  to,  and  the  eyes  which 
appear  in  the  extremity  of  the  tail  of  the  peacock. 

When  the  peacock  displays  his  charms  to  the  admiring 
spectator,  it  is  easy  to  see  in  bis  stiff,  formal,  stately,  and  ma- 
jestic aspect,  the  intention  to  astonish  and  overpower,  and 
the  assumption  of  a  superiority  that  commands  everything  to 
bow  before  it.  The  perfect  parallel  of  this  is  in  the  Persian 
court,  as  will  appear  from  the  following  description :  "  The 
importance  of  individuals  and  of  kingdoms  is  measured  among 
them  by  the  degree  of  show  which  is  displayed,  and  of  the 
attention  which  is  exacted  by  their  envoys.  If  an  embassa- 
dor assume  great  dignity,  the  nation  he  represents  is  believed 
to  be  wealthy  and  powerful.  If  he  enforce  deference,  and 
resent  the  slightest  neglect,  his  sovereign  is  considered  a 
mighty  potentate,  and  worthy  of  friendship  and  respect. 
Hence  the  diplomatic  abilities  of  a  royal  representative  are 
measured  by  the  obstinacy  with  which  he  resists  any  medi- 
tated encroachments,  or  contests  a  point  of  form  at  his  recep- 
tion, rather  than  by  the  firmness  with  which  he  conducts  a 
difficult  negotiation,  or  the  wisdom  he  exercises  in  establish- 
ing a  treaty. 

"The  ceremonies  of  the  court  of  Persia  are,  in  fact,  a  sub- 
ject of  the  most  minute  study  and  attention.  When  the 
shah  is  seated  in  public,  his  sons,  ministers,  and  courtiers, 
stand  erect  in  their  appointed  places,  their  hands  crossed 
upon  their  girdles,  watching  the  looks  of  their  sovereign, 
whose  dance  is  a  mandate.  If  he  addresses  an  order  or  a 
question,  a  voice  is  heard  in  reply,  and  the  lips  of  the  speaker 
move,  but  not  a  gesture  betrays  animation  in  his  frame. 
Should  the  monarch  command  him  to  approach,  the  awe  he 
affects  to  feel  permits  him  not  to  advance  until  the  order  has 
been  several  times  repeated ;  and  these  behests  are  always 
enunciated  in  a  deep,  sonorous  voice,  and  in  the  third  person 
—  the  shah  saying  of  himself,  'The  king  commands'  —  'The 
king  is  pleased,'  while  his  attendants  usually  address  him  as 
4  Kihleh  Allum?  (the  object  of  the  world's  regard  !)  and  preface 
their  reply  by  the  words  '  May  I  be  your  sacrifice  !' 


THE   PEACOCK.  165 

"  When  a  foreign  embassador  arrives,  the  court  assumes 
its  most  solemn  aspect,  and  its  resources  are  taxed  to  dazzle 
the  stranger  as  well  by  magnificence  as  the  exhibition  of  un- 
controlled power.  As  he  approaches  the  royal  residence  a 
deep  silence  prevails  :  the  men  stand  like  statues ;  the  horses 
themselves,  as  if  trained  to  such  scenes,  scarcely  move  their 
heads. 

"  The  envoy  is  received  in  a  small  apartment  by  one 
of  the  principal  officers  of  government,  who,  after  a  delay 
more  or  less  protracted  according  to  the  honor  intended  to 
be  paid,  leads  him  to  the  hall  of  audience,  where  the  sover- 
eign, clothed  in  glittering  apparel,  sits  on  a  throne  covered 
with  jewels.  A  garden,  divided  into  parterres  by  walks,  and 
adorned  with  flowers  land  fountains,  spreads  its  beauties  be- 
fore the  ample  windows.  Twice  is  the  stranger  called  upon 
to  bow  before  the  king  of  kings  ere  he  approach  the  presence, 
to  which  he  is  marshalled  by  two  officers  of  state  with  gold- 
enamelled  wands.  His  name  and  country  are  announced, 
and  he  is  commanded  to  ascend.  Arrived  near  the  throne, 
the  deep  and  solemn  voice  of  the  sovereign  utters  the  gracious 
'Koosh  AmedeedP  after  which,  retiring  to  his  appointed 
kplace,  he  receives  permission  to  be  seated." 

Before  closing  this  subject  let  us  look  at  it  in  its  more 
favorable  aspect.  The  beauty  we  are  speaking  of  is  paradisi- 
acal. It  is  not  for  mortals  to  clothe  themselves  in  the  livery 
of  heaven,  except  as  the  wedding-garment  that  is  indispensa- 
ble to  their  admission  to  angelic  society.  Like  the  bride, 
they  must  have  made  themselves  ready  before  they  can  enter 
the  heavenly  mansion  ;  there  must  be  none  suffering  for  the 
necessaries  of  life,  much  less  must  they  obtain  heavenly  robes 
at  the  expense  of  bread  and  of  comfortable  garments  for  the 
poor.  Admiration  must  be  gratified  in  the  beauties  of  the 
sky  and  earth,  in  golden  sunsets,  flowers,  insects,  birds,  all 
things  that  Nature  has  provided  for  all,  and  every  object 
that  Art  has  created  for  humanity.  The  peacock  and  the 
humming-bird  are  fond  of  flowers,  but  the  difference  between 
them  is  as  the  difference  between  an  animal  characteristic 
and  a  human  : — 


166  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

"  Self-love  and  Reason  to  one  end  aspire, 
Pain  their  aversion,  pleasure  their  desire ; 
But  eager  that  its  object  would  devour, 
This  taste  the  honey,  and  not  wound  the  flower." 

The  peacock  devours  the  object,  and  is  therefore  a  danger- 
ous ornament  in  a  flower-garden.  Not  so  a  human  being, 
unless  he  be  totally  depraved.  The  Persians  are  fond  of 
flowers,  not  merely  as  ornaments,  but  as  the  signs  of  spiritual 
beauty,  and  as  associated  with  feelings  of  humanity  and  re- 
finement. They  have  a  festival,  of  which  the  following  is  a 
brief  description : — 

"  The  feast  of  the  vernal  equinox,  the  new-year  of  the  an- 
cient Persians,  retains  its  importance  in  the  reformed  calen- 
dar, in  spite  of  religious  changes.  On  the  birthday  of  the 
young  Spring,  when  all  Nature  rejoices  (and  in  no  country  is 
the  transition  from  the  gloom  of  winter  more  rapid  and  de- 
lightful than  in  Persia),  the  shah,  by  ancient  custom,  proceeds 
from  his  capital,  attended  by  the  ministers  and  nobles  of  his 
court,  and  a  large  body  of  troops,  to  an  appointed  place, 
where  a  magnificent  tent  is  prepared,  having  in  it  the  throne 
of  state.  The  ceremonies  commence  with  a  grand  review ; 
tribute  as  well  as  presents  from  the  governors  of  provinces, 
from  the  officers  of  state,  and  from  all  who  are  entitled  to 
stand  in  the  presence,  are  laid  at  the  feet  of  his  majesty.  A 
week  is  thus  spent  in  feasting  and  joy."  Where  else  in  the 
wide  world  is  "  May-day"  kept  in  such  a  style  as  this  ?  There 
is  a  sacrilegious  element  in  it  in  the  form  of  royal  selfishness, 
but  we  see  in  it  a  bow  of  promise  for  the  Persians. 


THE   HOG. 


167 


CHAPTEK   XXIII. 


These  two  heads,  the  one  of  a  celestial  and  the  other  of  a 

terrestrial  genius,  convey  to  ns  the  idea  of  congenial  spirits. 

Judging  from  the  expression  and  contour 

of  the  face,  and  from  the  similarity  in 

disposition,  heaven 

and  earth   are  not 

so  far  apart  as  ma- 
ny suppose.    China 

is  favorable  to  the 

production  of  just 

such  a  character 
and  physiognomy  as  we  see  here.  The  hog  of  that  country, 
in  the  estimation  of  those  who  know  how  to  distinguish  a  hog 
from  a  shark,  is  the  perfection  of  beauty  and  excellence.  The 
best  point  in  the  character  of  a  hog  is  not  a  ravenous  disposi- 
tion, but  simply  a  taste  for  anything  and  everything  —  an  un- 
bounded appetite,  perfect  digestion,  and  great  tendency  to 
grow  fat.  The  hog-fancier  is  one  who  perceives  the  uses  of 
the  hog,  and  from  these  derives  his  knowledge  of  what  the 
beauty  and  excellence  of  this  animal  consist  in.  We  need 
not  go  far  to  find  out  the  origin  of  our  ideas  concerning  the 
beautiful :  it  is  simply  utility.  When  a  person  studies  the 
points  of  beauty  in  a  horse,  an  ox,  a  hog,  a  camel,  a  negro, 
an  Irishman,  a  dancing-master,  or  any  other  living  being,  he 
will  see  that  his  ideas  of  beauty  vary  with  the  several  uses  to 
wrhich  they  are  severally  adapted.  The  highest  beauty  is  the 
highest  use. 

Now  the  comeliness  of  the  Chinese  is  in  remarkable  agree- 
ment with  that  of  the  hog.  Are  not  those  half-closed,  drowsy 
eyes,  as  seen  in  the  portrait  on  the  following  page,  a  striking 


168 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY 


element  of  Chinese  beauty?     Can  you  not  easily  imagine 
that,  exhibited  in  their  perfection  as  they  are  in  the  softer 

sex,  you  might  be  smit- 
ten by  them  ?    The  story 

of   Narcissus   becoming 

enamored  of  his  own  face 

on  seeing  it  reflected  in 

a  brook,  is  not  so  absurd 

after  all,  for  it  is  of  eyes 

and  features   like   their 
own  that  the  Chinese,  or  any  other  race  of 
human  beings,  are  most  likely  to  be  enamored.     The  reason 
is,  that  there  is  one  kind  of  beauty  suited  to  one,  and  another 
to  another,  according  to  the  country  to  which  they  adapt 
themselves,  and  to  the  uses  they  are  intended  to  perform. 

Let  us  do  justice  to  the  swine,  and  we  shall  see  that  he  has 
points  to  be  admired.  If  he  has  a  taste  adapted  to  everything, 
and  an  appetite  that  is  not  easily  satisfied,  he  furnishes  the 
most  perfect  correspondence  to  the  intellectual  taste  and  ap- 
petite of  the  Chinese,  and  their  ability  to  digest  and  appro- 
priate what  they  read,  to  become  great  with  superfluity  of 
learning,  and  of  intellectual  dimensions  altogether  unwieldy. 
We  have  heard  of  "  learned  pigs,"  and  this  term  might  be 
figuratively  applied  to  the  Chinese.  The  learning  for  which 
the  pig  has  been  distinguished  is  that  of  distinguishing  one 
character  or  letter  from  another,  and  of  picking  out  the  blocks 
on  which  these  are  written,  so  as  to  spell  words,  under  the 
direction,  of  course,  of  his  master.  This  is  precisely  the  kind 
of  talent  which  is  most  remarkable  in  the  Chinese.  The 
eighty  thousand  characters  in  their  language  are  nothing 
strange  to  them,  but  present  an  almost  insurmountable  obsta- 
cle to  foreigners  who  would  become  acquainted  with  their 
literature.  They  regard  literary  acquirements  as  the  sum  to- 
tal of  intellectual  greatness,  and  the  man  of  letters  is  allowed 
a  wide  berth,  not  from  dislike,  but  from  his  supposed  capaci- 
ties, and  the  great  respect  which  is  paid  him.  They  desig- 
nate the  implements  of  writing  (the  brush,  ink,  paper,  and 
marble)  by  a  word  which  signifies  the  "  four  precious  things." 


THE   HOG.  169 

But  it  would  seem  that  this  extraordinary  literary  appetite 
in  the  Chinese  has  its  foundation  in  something  more  substan- 
tial. The  celestials  are  the  greatest  epicures  in  the  world, 
and,  like  the  terrestrials,  are  rather  indiscriminate  in  their 
choice  x)f  food  —  accepting  as  dainties  rats,  mice,  cats,  dogs, 
hogs,  and  a  variety  of  unclean  animals.  Those  great  curiosi- 
ties, the  chopsticks,  enable  them  to  eat  as  hogs  do ;  that  is, 
by  throwing  the  food  into  the  mouth,  a  manner  of  eating  that 
is  to  be  observed  in  no  other  animal  than  the  hog.  If  the 
hog  had  not  the  privilege  of  "  pitching  in"  his  food,  he  would 
not  be  a  hog ;  neither  would  a  Chinaman  be  a  Chinaman  if 
he  did  not  use  his  chopsticks  in  eating.  On  this  subject  we 
quote  the  following  from  the  French  traveller  La  Place  : — 

"  It  seemed  very  doubtful  whether  I  should  be  able  to  eat 
my  rice  grain  by  grain,  according  to  the  belief  of  Europeans 
regarding  the  Chinese  custom.  I  therefore  waited  until  my 
host  should  begin,  to  follow  his  example,  foreseeing  that,  on 
this  new  occasion,  some  fresh  discovery  would  serve  to  relieve 
us  from  the  truly  ridiculous  embarrassment  which  we  all  dis- 
played :  in  a  word,  our  two  Chinese,  cleverly  joining  the  ends 
of  their  chopsticks,  plunged  them  into  the  bowls  of  rice,  held 
up  to  the  mouth,  which  was  opened  to  its  full  extent,  and 
thus  easily  shovelled  in  the  rice,  not  by  grains,  but  by  hand- 
fuls." 

Not  merely  as  to  the  manner  of  eating,  but  as  to  the  arti- 
cles of  food  and  the  forms  in  which  they  are  administered,  do 
the  Chinese  resemble  hogs.  In  illustration  of  this,  we  quote 
the  following  description  from  the  same  writer :  "  The  first 
course  was  laid  out  in  a  great  number  of  saucers  of  painted 
porcelain,  and  consisted  of  various  relishes  in  a  cold  state,  as 
salted  earthworms,  prepared  and  dried,  but  so  cut  up  that 
I  fortunately  did  not  know  what  they  were  until  I  had  swal- 
lowed them ;  salted  or  smoked  fish,  and  ham,  both  of  them 
cut  into  extremely  small  slices  ;  besides  which  there  was  what 
they  called  Japan  leather,  a  sort  of  darkish  skin,  hard  and 
tough,  with  a  strong  and  far  from  agreeable  taste,  which 
seemed  to  have  been  macerated  for  some  time  in  water.  All 
these  et  ceteras,  including  among  the  number  a  liquor  which 


170  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

I  recognised  to  be  soy  —  made  from  a  Japan  bean,  and  long 
since  adopted  by  the  wine-drinkers  of  Europe  to  revive  their 
faded  appetites  or  tastes  —  were  used  as  seasoning  to  a  great 
number  of  stews  which  were  contained  in  bowls,  and  suc- 
ceeded each  other  uninterruptedly.  All  the  dishes,  without 
exception,  swam  in  soup.  On  one  side  figured  pigeons'  eggs, 
cooked  in  gravy,  together  with  ducks  and  fowls  cut  very 
small,  and  immersed  in  dark-colored  sauce ;  on  the  other, 
little  balls  made  of  sharks'  fins,  eggs  prepared  by  heat,  of 
which  both  the  smell  and  taste  seemed  to  us  equally  repul- 
sive, immense  grubs,  a  peculiar  kind  of  sea-fish,  crabs,  and 
pounded  shrimps.  I  had  great  difficulty  in  seizing  my  prey 
in  the  midst  of  these  several  bowls  filled  with  gravy  ;  in  vain 
I  tried  to  hold,  in  imitation  of  my  host,  this  substitute  for  a 
fork  between  the  thumb  and  the  first  two  fingers  of  the  right 
hand  ;  for  the  cursed  chopsticks  slipped  aside  every  moment, 
leaving  behind  them  the  unhappy  little  morsel  which  I  cov- 
eted. It  is  true  that  the  master  of  the  house  came  to  the 
relief  of  my  inexperience  (by  which  he  was  much  entertained) 
with  his  two  instruments,  the  extremities  of  which,  a  few  mo- 
ments before,  had  touched  a  mouth  whence  age  and  the  use 
of  snuff  and  tobacco  had  cruelly  chased  its  good  looks.  I 
could  very  well  have  dispensed  with,  such  an  auxiliary,  for 
my  stomach  had  already  much  ado  to  support  the  various 
ragouts,  each  one  more  surprising  than  another,  which.  I  had 
been  obliged,  nolens  volens,  to  taste  of." 

Wq  can  not  finish  the  description  of  the  sumptuous  habits 
of  the  Chinese,  but  enough  has  been  said  to  show  their  re- 
semblance in  this  respect  to  the  hog.  They  may  be  also 
regarded  as  "  hoggish"  in  that  peculiarity  of  theirs,  the  dis- 
position to  have  everything  to  themselves.  This  exclusive- 
ness  is  assisted  by  large  secretiveness,  which  is  indicated  in 
the  expansion  of  the  wing  of  the  nostril,  which  sign  is  large 
in  the  hog,  together  with  the  sign  of  inquisitiveness,  or  the 
upward  tendency  of  the  end  of  the  snout,  constituting  that 
peculiar  form  of  nose  called  the  "  celestial."  In  the  hog  this 
particular  form  of  the  nasal  protuberance  is  useful  as  well  as 
ornamental.     It  answers  the  purpose  of  a  prying  curiosity,  a 


THE   HOG. 


in 


trait  for  which  the  Chinese  are  as  remarkable  as  for  their 
secretiveness.  No  doubt  the  Chinaman,  judging  from  him- 
self, attributes  inquisitiveness  to  others,  and  this  keeps  his 
secretiveness  in  a  constant  state  of  excitement ;  and  it  is  with 
great  reluctance  that  he  opens  the  gates  of  the  celestial  em- 
pire to  earth-born  foreigners. 

The  two  faculties  just  spoken  of  give  the  hog  and  the  Chi- 
nese a  mining  and  delving  disposition  the  very  opposite  of 
that  which  is  implied  in  the  appellation  of  the  latter.  They 
are  for  ever  busy  in  obtaining  the  necessaries  of  life,  except 
when  supplied  by  others,  and  then  they  show  extraordinary 
faculties  of  rest  and  sleep,  as  well  as  laziness.  Earth  is  their 
mother,  and  they  claim  the  indulgence  of  her  lap  and  her 
fruitful  rows  of  corn  more  than  others  of  her  children.  They 
are  wonderfully  crowd- 
ed together,  and  roll 
and  tumble  over  each 
other  in  the  struggle 
for  a  subsistence;  for 
though  their  mother  is 
planted  on  every  hill- 
side and  valley,  there 
are  not  rows  enough  for 
them  all.  The  Chinaman  has  indeed  many  of  the  character- 
istics of  the  infant,  and  the  infant  is  a  "  little  pig."     It  would 


172  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

be  easy  to  illustrate  this,  but  we  pass  on  to  the  signs  of  the 
Chinese  and  the  hog  loving  the  earth  so  well.  One  is,  that 
they  are  both  dirty.  Says  a  work  on  China :  "  The  great  sin 
of  the  Chinese  costume  is  the  paucity  of  white  linen,  and  con- 
sequently of  washing.  Even  their  body-garment  is  sometimes 
a  species  of  light  silk,  but  capable  of  putrefaction.  All  the 
rest  of  their  dress  being  of  silks  or  furs,  there  is  less  demand 
for  white  calico  or  linen,  in  proportion  to  the  numbers,  than 
in  any  other  country.  They  spread  neither  sheets  upon  their 
beds  nor  cloths  on  their  tables,  and  the  want  of  personal 
cleanliness  has,  of  course,  a  tendency  to  promote  cutaneous 
and  leprous  complaints."  It  should  be  observed,  however, 
that  scorbutic  affections  are  natural  to  the  hog,  and  it  may 
be  that  in  this  respect  the  Chinese  resemble  him,  though  we 
can  hardly  suppose  that  his  rolling  himself  in  the  dirt  would 
tend  to  prevent  it,  as  in  the  inferior  animal. 

The  Chinese  compare  very  well  with  the  hog  in  respect  to 
cruelty,  tearing  and  rending,  or  whatever  grows  out  of  de- 
structiveness  and  revenge,  and  the  eating  of  garbage.  The 
government  of  China  is  a  wild  boar :  "  The  mandarin  is  pre- 
ceded by  a  hundred  executioners,  who,  with  a  sort  of  yell, 
announce  his  approach.  Should  any  one  forget  to  retire  to 
the  wall,  he  is  severely  whipped.  On  entering  a  city  he  can 
order  any  person,  whom  he  chooses  to  have  arrested,  to  be 
put  to  death,  and  no  one  can  venture  to  defend  him."  As  to 
the  emperor,  "  when  he  goes  abroad,  all  the  people  are  obliged 
to  shut  themselves  up  in  their  houses.  "Whoever  is  found  in 
his  way  is  exposed  to  instant  death,  unless  he  turns  his  back, 
or  lies  flat  with  his  face  on  the  ground.  All  the  shops  by 
which  he  passes  must  be  shut,  and  he  never  goes  out  without 
being  preceded  by  two  thousand  officers,  carrying  chains, 
axes,  and  various  other  instruments  of  cruelty." 

"Parents  have  the  right  to  destroy  or  mutilate  their  chil- 
dren, thousands  of  whom  are  yearly  exposed  to  perish  in  the 
rivers."  They  plead,  in  excuse  for  this,  that  they  have  not 
food  for  so  many  mouths,  and  the  necessity  of  a  living  for 
themselves ;  and  doubtless  the  sow,  when  she  devours  two  or 
three  of  her  numerous  litter,  may  claim  the  benefit  of  the 


THE    HOG. 


173 


same  apology.  The  Chinese  "  have  one  species  of  refinement 
on  the  score  of  skins.  The  young  lamb  in  utero,  after  a  cer- 
tain period  of  gestation,  is  taken  out,  and  its  skin  prepared, 
with  its  fine,  silky  wool  upon  it,  for  dresses,  which  of  course 
require,  on  account  of  the  small  size  of  the  skins,  a  great 
number  of  lambs  to  be  thus  '  untimely  ripped.'  "  Who  but 
people  resembling  the  hog  too  literally  would  ever  think  of 
such  a  thing? 

The  Chinese  and  the  bog  are  remarkable  for  subterfuge. 
They  are  excellent  scavengers,  as  before  illustrated.  If  one 
kind  of  food  will  not  answer,  another  will :  birds'  nests,  silk- 
worm chrysalides,  the  tender  shoots  of  the  bamboo,  things 
that  nobody  else  would  think  of,  are  converted  by  the  Chi- 
nese into  food.  They  are  willing,  like  beggars,  to  accept  of 
anything.  They  are  fond  of  disguises,  and  this  fondness  in 
the  hog  is  gratified,  together  with  his  secretiveness,  subter- 
fuge, and  inquisitiveness,  when  he  rolls  himself  in  a  slough, 
and  renders  himself  undistinguishable,  or  passes  for  a  part 
of  the  plastic  clay  from  which  he  was  formed.  The  Chinese 
mustache  has  a  filthy  look,  like  something  running  out  at  the 
corner  of  the  mouth,  where  the  tusk  of  the  hog  makes  its  ap- 
pearance, and  is  indicative  of  the  same  savage  disposition. 
The  Chinese  and  the  hog  are  both  characterized  by  very 
small  feet ;  but  whether  the  hog  would  render  this  peculiar- 
ity still  more  conspicuous,  if  he  had  reason,  by  compressing 
his  feet,  we  can  not  say.     He  has  certainly  no  disposition  to 


contract  his  waist,  and  the 

Chinese  discard  all  ligatures 

and  confinements  of  every  kind  from  the  neighborhood  of  the 

stomach  and  bowels ;  and   therein,   certainly,   the  Chinese 

ladies  have  the  advantage  of  our  own. 


174:  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

The  hog  loves  a  plastic  bed,  adapts  it  to  his  own  mould, 
daubs  the  black  pigment  wherever  his  nose  can  carry  it, 
paints  in  a  very  workmanlike  manner  the  inside  of  his  trough 
up  to  the  very  edge,  an  operation  to  which  the  softness  and 
pliability  of  his  snout  are  admirably  adapted.  In  this  re- 
spect he  is  not  unworthy  of  being  compared  with  the  Chinese, 
whose  fondness  for  working  in  clay,  for  moulding,  glazing, 
painting,  and  leaving  a  stain,  is  well  known.  Both  the  hog 
and  the  Chinese  exercise  the  faculty  of  moulding  along  with 
the  faculty  of  protection,  which  makes  them  fond  of  trenches 
and  strong  walls,  within  which  to  ensconce  themselves,  and 
in  this  they  show  that  degree  of  prudence  which  may  with 
the  greatest  propriety  be  called  "sconce."  The  hog  treads 
the  mortar,  mixes  the  straw,  digs  the  trench,  from  which  he 
heaves  up  the  wall ;  and  the  order  which  he  observes,  and 
the  straightness  of  the  line,  show  that  he  has  an  eye  to  a  for- 
tification—  that  he  is  capable,  like  an  engineer,  of  layino-  out 
his  plan,  and  of  intimating  what  he  wishes  to  have  done.  He 
is  warned  of  the  approach  of  a  storm,  and  begins  to  look  out 
for  a  squall,  carrying  straw  in  his  mouth  as  his  share  of  the 
materials  for  a  primitive  fortification,  to  make  good  his  pro- 
tection from  the  elements.  Walking  about  with  that  peculiar 
air  of  self-importance  that  is  ascribed  to  the  hog,  and  which 
belongs  to  those  who  maintain  a  supreme  right  to  the  soil,  he 
would  yet  prefer  his  sty  or  a  mud-hovel  to  a  palace,  as  a  place 
to  live  in.  In  this  they  resemble  the  Chinese,  who  "  endeavor 
to  make  a  pompous  appearance  when  they  go  abroad ;  and 
yet  their  houses  are  mean  and  low,  consisting  only  of  a  ground 
floor."  China  abounds  in  canals  and  ditches,  and  the  hog 
engages  in  such  works  of  art  as  these,  and  loves  to  plough  in 
the  bottom  of  pools  and  stagnant  waters  for  the  means  of  sub- 
sistence, in  imitation  of  which  the  Chinese  "  cultivate  the 
bottom  of  their  waters,  the  beds  of  their  lakes,  ponds,  and 
rivulets,"  and  obtain  from  the  mud  such  a  variety  of  animal 
and  vegetable  food  as  entitle  them  to  be  ranked  with  hoo-s 
in  the  class  omnivora. 

As  the  hog  and  the  Chinese  agree  so  well  in  taste  and  ap- 
petite, and  in  the  form,  quality,  and  quantity  of  their  food, 


THE   HOG.  175 

it  is  to  be  expected  that  they  would  agree  in  corporosity. 
The  added  dimensions  that  come  from  a  deposition  of  fat  in 
the  Chinese  empire,  might  be  illustrated  by  very  numerous 
examples.  "Those  are  thought  to  be  most  handsome  who 
are  most  bulky,"  and  it  is  worthy  of  observation  and  reflec- 
tion that  their  gods,  which  embody  their  ideas  of  beauty  and 
perfection,  or  of  what  is  worthy  of  being  admired,  worshipped, 
and  aimed  at,  have  enormous  stomachs,  little  feet,  large  ears, 
and  small  eyes,  like  the  hog,  and  like  themselves,  only  very 
much  exaggerated.  The  hollow  cheeks  and  meager  aspect 
of  many  of  the  Chinese  have  hardly  their  parallel  in  the  worst- 
conditioned  and  most  perverted  of  hogs  ;  but  who  does  not 
know,  if  he  will  reflect  upon  it,  that  the  Chinaman,  like  any 
other  tea-drinker,  tobacco-snuffer,  opium-smoker,  and  what 
not,  must  be  lean  and  shadowy  —  so  much  so,  that  you  might 
almost  rattle  his  bones  ?  It  is  by  virtue  of  his  tea,  which  he 
keeps  constantly  over  the  fire  and  makes  almost  constant  use 
of;  and  by  virtue  of  his  snuff,  which  he  carries  in  a  bottle 
that  is  seldom  absent  from  his  side,  and  ladles  out  with  a 
spoon,  to  be  snuffed  up  the  nose  ;  and  by  virtue  of  his  opium, 
which,  lying  upon  a  couch,  he  spends  hours  in  smoking  —  it 
is  by  virtue  of  these  that  he  gives  countenance  to  the  idea 
with  which  he  wishes  to  impress  himself  and  others,  viz.,  that 
he  is  celestial.  It  is  remarkable  that  this  claim  is  put  forth 
by  fat  people,  and  by  those  who  are  epicurean  in  their  dispo- 
sition, rather  more  frequently  than  by  others  ;  but  — 

11  Were  I  as  fat  as  stalled  theology, 
Wishing  would  waste  me  to  his  shade  again" — 

and  wishing  to  become  celestial  may  have  led  the  Chinese  to 
the  discovery  of  the  use  of  tea ;  and  in  this  they  are  more 
fortunate  than  certain  of  their  emperors,  who,  in  attempting 
to  make  themselves  immortal,  proved  that  the  elixir  vitce  was 
a  misnomer.  As  to  their  opium-smoking,  it  is  said  that  "  a 
few  days  of  this  fearful  luxury,  when  taken  to  excess,  will 
give  a  pale  and  haggard  look  to  the  face ;  and  a  few  months, 
or  even  weeks,  will  change  the  strong  and  healthy  man  into 
little  better  than  an  idiot  skeleton." 


176  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

Were  we  to  mention  all  the  points  of  congeniality  between 
the  Chinaman  and  the  hog,  it  would  swell  this  chapter  to  the 
dimensions  they  so  much  admire.  "We  will  notice  in  con- 
clusion only  this  —  a  wonderful  adaptation  in  respect  to  prow- 
ess, and  disposition  to  the  cultivation  of  the  soil.  Pope  never 
made  a  greater  mistake  than  when  he  said  — 

"  The  hog  that  ploughs  not," 

for  Mature  has  furnished  this  animal  with  a  plough,  and  given 
him  the  ability  and  the  disposition  to  use  it.  But  we  will  be- 
stow our  compliments  upon  the  Chinese  rather  than  the  hog. 
The  annual  festival  in  honor  of  agriculture  speaks  more  for 
the  honor  of  the  Chinese  than  anything  we  have  said  of  them 
yet.     We  quote  the  following : — 

"Throughout  the  Chinese  empire,  agricultural  improve- 
ment has  in  all  ages  been  encouraged  and  honored.  Bank- 
ing next  to  men  of  letters  and  officers  of  state,  the  cultivator 
of  the  soil  is  considered  an  honorable  and  useful  member  of 
society.  It  may  be  remarked  here  that,  among  the  several 
grades  of  society,  the  cultivators  of  mind  rank  first ;  those  of 
land  are  placed  next;  and  the  third  station  is  assigned  to 
manufacturers ;  while  the  exchangers  of  commodities  or  mer- 
chants rank  lowest  of  all.  A  deep  veneration  for  agriculture 
is  inscribed  on  all  the  institutions  in  China.  A  homage  to 
this  primary  art  is  still  seen  in  the  annual  celebration  by 
which  the  emperor  makes  a  show  of  performing  its  operations. 
This  anniversary  takes  places  on  the  twenty-fourth  day  of  the 
second  moon,  corresponding  with  our  month  of  February. 
The  monarch  prepares  himself  for  it  by  fasting  three  days ; 
he  then  repairs  to  the  appointed  spot  with  three  princes,  nine 
presidents  of  the  high  tribunals,  forty  old  and  forty  young 
husbandmen.  Having  offered  a  sacrifice  of  the  fruits  of  the 
earth  to  the  Supreme  Deity,  he  takes  in  his  hand  the  plough, 
and  makes  a  furrow  of  some  length,  in  which  he  is  followed 
by  the  princes  and  other  grandees.  A  similar  course  is  ob- 
served in  sowing  the  field  ;  and  the  operations  are  completed 
by  the  husbandmen. 

"  An  annual  festival  is  also  celebrated  in  the  capital  of 


THE   HOG.  177 

each  province.  The  governor  marches  forth  crowned  with 
flowers,  and  accompanied  by  a  numerous  train  bearing  flags, 
adorned  with  agricultural  emblems  and  portraits  of  eminent 
husbandmen ;  while  the  streets  are  decorated  with  lanterns 
and  triumphal  arches.  Among  other  figures  is  a  porcelain 
cow  of  enormous  magnitude,  carried  by  forty  men,  and  at- 
tended by  a  boy  who  represents  the  genius  of  industry.  At 
the  close  of  the  procession  the  image  is  opened,  and  found  to 
contain  numerous  smaller  cows  of  the  same  material,  which 
are  distributed  among  the  people." 


12 


178  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


CHAPTEE   XXIV. 

It  is  generally  felt  and  acknowledged  that  the  love  for  ani- 
mals is  closely  allied  to  the  love  for  children.  When  a  man 
is  convicted  of  a  fondness  for  "  pets,"  it  is  supposed  that  pet- 
ting is  one  of  the  phases  of  his  parental  affection,  and  that  he 
would  pet  his  children  in  the  same  manner  that  he  would  his 
animals.  It  is  taken  for  granted  that  an  old  lady  who  keeps 
parrots,  or  cats,  or  a  lapdog,  and  shows  them  great  attention, 
is  simply  exercising  her  faculty  of  "  philoprogenitiveness,"  as 
the  phrenologists  would  say,  and  that  the  degree  of  her  fond- 
ness shows  the  degree  of  attachment  she  would  have  had  for 
children  if  fortune  had  directed  her  affection  in  that  channel. 

It  was  before  hinted  that  children  are  more  nearly  allied 
to  animals  than  grown  people  ;  that  Nature  is  the  first  parent 
of  all,  and  that  man  has  a  foster-parent,  by  the  name  of  Art, 
that  instructs,  refines,  and  purifies  him,  and  thus  distinguishes 
him  from  animals.  This  is  reason  enough  why  the  love  for 
children  and  the  love  for  animals  should  be  included  in  one. 

But  there  is  also  in  the  mind  of  man  a  discrimination  with 
regard  to  the  several  objects  of  parental  affection.  In  child- 
hood the  resemblance  to  some  particular  animal  is  strongest, 
and  wears  off  gradually,  as  the  process  of  education  advances  ; 
and  as  the  fondness  for  pets  implies  that  some  animals  are 
special  favorites,  and  that  others  are  not,  of  course  there  are 
a  great  number  of  hinds  of  children,  and  one  person  loves 
one  kind  and  another  another.  Most  persons,  when  asked  if 
they  are  fond  of  children,  can  not  honestly  say  "  yes"  without 
a  qualification.  They  do  not  know  exactly  how  to  express 
their  difficulty,  not  being  aware  of  what  the  distinctions  con- 
sist in;  and  hence  one  person  says  he  is  fond  of  children 
when  they  get  large  enough  to  play ;  another  says  he  is  fond 


THE   HOG.  179 

of  infants ;  another  says  lie  is  fond  of  children  that  have  the 
air  of  a  noble  mother  about  them ;  another  says  that  he  is 
fond  of  them  when  Nature  has  given  them  features  and  ex- 
pressions according  to  his  own  notions.  It  is  on  this  princi- 
ple that  people  are  particularly  fond  of  their  own  children,  or 
that  "  every  crow  thinks  her  own  young  the  whitest."  Pa- 
rental love  seems  often  not  to  be  developed  until  persons 
become  parents ;  but  the  individual  who  is  fond  of  all  sorts 
of  animals  is  fond  of  all  sorts  of  children.  This  is  true  of 
those  who  have  a  sympathy  for  Nature  in  general. 

As  but  few  infants  and  young  children  resemble  parrots, 
those  who  show  a  special  fondness  for  these  birds  do  so  to 
the  exclusion  of  an  affection  for  children ;  they  lavish  all 
their  love  upon  their  pets,  expend  sums  of  money  upon  them, 
and  if  possible  would  cause  them  to  inherit  their  fortunes. 
But  those  who  see  a  great  deal  of  beauty  in  little  pigs,  as 
thousands  do,  as  is  evident  from  their  gazing  upon  them  with 
admiration  whenever  they  have  an  opportunity,  and  from 
their  express  declarations,  find  a  multitude  of  children  that 
they  are  fond  of.  "When  they  look  into  the  little  pig-eyes  of 
a  child,  their  own  eyes  twinkle 
with  delight  and  with  a  reflection 
from  those ;  and  when  they  look 
at  its  little  porky  cheeks,  and  at 
its  little  snouty  face  between,  they 
wish  to  press  those  cheeks  with 
their  own,  and  to  "  measure  noses" 
with  that  little  turn  up  nose,  and 
to  measure  mouths  with  that  little 
turn-up  mouth,  and  it  is  ten  to  one 
if  they  do  not  gratify  their  desire. 

But  the  parental  love  of  others  refuses  to  descend  to  this 
seeming  grossness:  they  could  not  caress  a  child  like  that 
represented  above.  Some  little  thing  that  resembled  a  puppy 
or  a  kitten  would  please  them  more,  for  they  resemble  dogs 
or  cats,  and  from  self-love  they  beget  children  in  their  own 
likeness,  and  from  this  principle  they  love  them.  They  con- 
ceive children  in  their  brains;  these  are  their  beau-ideals, 


180 


COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 


and  all  others  are  the  objects  of  invidious  comparison  and 
contrast. 

There  is  in  reality  not  much  parental  affection  in  the  pa- 
rents of  children  who  are  of  the  kind  just  represented.  They 
are  too  selfish  to  extend  their  affection  to  anything  that  bears 
a  likeness  to  themselves,  for  the  more  others  are  like  them- 
selves the  more  they  regard  them  as  rivals.  They  love  only 
that  which  they  receive,  or  have  before  received,  or  have  the 
hope  of  receiving;  and  when  they  perceive  that  they  have 
children  (which  was  a  thing  they  did  not  wish),  they  look 
upon  it  as  a  misfortune,  and  as  something  they  must  submit 
to  because  it  can  not  be  helped.  The  cultivation  of  family 
pride  will  go  far  toward  making  them  content  with  their  sit- 
uation. Whatever  is  important  in  their  estimation  must  come 
from  themselves,  must  be  derived  from  their  own  portliness, 
and  must  still  be  considered  as  a  part  of  it,  and  there  are  no 
children  in  the  world  of  the  least  consequence  but  their  own. 
Their  pride  is  enormously  increased  by  an  addition  to  their 

bulk,  and  they  walk  with 
an  air  of  greater  impor- 
tance than  before,  and  as 
if  they  were  at  particular 
pains  to  show  themselves. 
— The  consideration  that 
what  they  receive  inter- 
nally will  add  to  their 
portliness  adds  also  very 
greatly  to  their  estimate 
of  the  high  value  and  im- 
portance of  eating.  They 
are  sensual  in  reference 
to  everything  which  they 
receive,  but  sparing  in 
reference  to  everything 
which  they  are  doomed 
to  part  with ;  and  if  they 
give  away  anything,  it  is  included  in  the  debt  which  they 
pay  to  Nature,  or  is  something  useless. 


THE   HOG.  181 

The  hog  is  an  aristocratic  individual,  as  is  seen  in  the 
description  of  the  person  who  bears  a  resemblance  to  him, 
and  in  various  other  hoggish  dispositions  that  have  not  been 
mentioned.  It  is  easy  to 
see  that  the  "  Hermit  of 
Belly-full"  is  hospitable 
to  himself,  and  has  no 
kindness  to  waste  on  chil- 
dren or  on  anybody  else. 
He  is  partial  to  his  own  J 
society,  and  dreads  the 

approach  of  a  guest,  for  he  has  nothing  to  spare — he  has  no 
more  than  he  wants  himself.  He  looks  as  if  he  were  saying, 
""What  have  you  come  here  for?"  —  as  if  he  would  say  this 
to  his  first-begotten ;  and  as  if  to  the  second  he  would  say, 
"I've  more  mouths  than  I  can  feed  already;"  and  as  if  to  a 
beggar  he  would  say,  "  I  've  nothing  for  you :  get  you  gone, 
you  dog  you !"  It  may  be  that  after  dinner  he  will  be  good- 
natured,  for  the  hog  is  good-natured  when  he  is  full,  but  this 
does  not  make  him  benevolent.  Eating  is  his  principal  em- 
ployment, and  he  spends  a  share  of  his  time  in  measuring  his 
dimensions  by  the  quantity  of  air  or  water  he  is  capable  of 
displacing,  for  he  blows  like  a  porpoise,  and  rolls  himself 
around,  and  views  himself  askance,  and  regards  complacently 
the  reflection  which  he  sees  in  his  broad  mirror,  which  he 
keeps  always  in  the  dining-room  and  opposite  his  place  at  the 
table.  The  hog  exhibits  the  same  trait  of  character  in  his 
disposition  to  wallow  out  into  a  green  pool,  the  surface  of 
which  shines  like  a  metallic  mirror,  and  there,  with  half- 
opened  eyes,  which  show  that  he  is  not  sleeping,  to  consider 
and  enjoy  himself.  The  man  who  resembles  him  does  not 
stand  before  his  mirror,  but  sits  down,  and  congratulates 
himself  on  the  results  of  his  hearty  appetite  and  his  good 
digestion. 

The  hog  receives  attentions  like  a  lord  :  they  sit  well  upon 
him  ;  and  that  high  life  is  his  natural  element  is  evident  from 
the  fact  that  his  eye  has  the  expression  of  happiness  and  good 
cheer,  when  his  wants  are  supplied  without  any  trouble  of  his 


182 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


own.  You  may  see,  from  the  knowing  expression  of  Lis  eye, 
that  he  is  "  a  pig  in  clover,"  for  the  knowledge  of  this  fact 
gives  his  eye  a  wonderful  deal  of  intelligence :  he  seems  to 

see  that  his  numerous  re- 
tainers are  bent  upon  ma- 
king him  happy,  and  his 
eye  dances  when  he  sees 
them  dancing  attendance 
upon  him. 

But  who  does  not  see 
that   there    is    still 


more 


meaning  in  that  eye,  if  he  can  only  get  at  it  ?  To  be  well  fed 
gives  a  man  the  appearance  of  benevolence.  He  can  not 
find  it  in  his  heart  to  wish  evil  to  those  who  wish  him  good ; 
nay,  he  wishes  them  well  for  his  own  sake.  This  it  is  that  is 
likely  to  be  mistaken  for  benevolence  in  the  eye  of  one  who 
resembles  the  lucky  hog  we  are  speaking  of.  This  happiness 
and  good-nature,  along  with  a  determination  to  have  what  is 
wanted,  expressed  in  the  other  parts  of  the  countenance,  fa- 
vors roguishness,  which  is  seen  in  those  eyes  more  plainly, 
we  might  almost  say,  than  the  eye  itself.  You  might  fancy 
Francis  Joseph,  the  emperor  of  Austria,  with  such  eyes  as 
those,  taking  the  child  first  presented  by  the  toes,  one  by  one, 
and  saying :  "  This  pig  says,  '  I  go  get  corn  ;'  this  pig  says, 
'I  go  too;'  this  pig  says,  'I'll  tell  master;'  this  pig  says,  'I 
don't  care  if  you  do;'  this  pig  says,  'Queek!  queek!  can't 
get  open  gran'fer's  barn-door !' ':  And  the  pig  we  see  above 
answers  to  all  these  characters  perfectly,  with  the  addition 
that  when  he  comes  to  the  last  he  looks  around  for  somebody 
to  help  him,  expressing  his  desire  to  be  admitted,  and  point- 


THE   HOG.  183 

ing  with  his  nose  to  the  place  that  he  wishes  to  go  to.  He 
wants  unlimited  range,  and  has  been  so  long  pampered  and 
indulged,  that  he  has  no  thought  of  denying  himself  anything. 
We  may  say,  speaking  allegorically,  that  he  is  looking  with 
his  nose  toward  Hungary,  which  he  associates  in  his  mind 
with  the  hunger  of  that  part  of  his  countenance ;  and  with 
his  eyes  toward  Russia,  asking  assistance  from  that  quarter 
for  the  gratification  of  his  imperious  desires.  If  there  is  any 
meaning  to  the  word  "  piggish,"  as  applied  to  human  beings, 
surely  it  is  applicable  to  the  pig. 

The  animal  we  are  speaking  of  has  the  appearance  of  being 
well  dressed,  which  naturally  accompanies  good  living  :  this 
takes  place  in  anticipation  of  the  dressing  that  will  be  given 
him  preparatory  to  his  receiving  the  title  of  "  Pork."  Nature 
demands  this  for  her  protege,  otherwise  he  would  not  be  so 
smooth  and  sleek;  and  the  doctors  who  do  their  share  in  the 
labor  of  "  giving  him  a  dressing,"  take  shelter  under  the  favor- 
ite motto  that  it  is  their  business  to  help  Nature  in  the  accom- 
plishment of  her  good  intentions.  It  is  vain  for  a  pig  to  ask 
favor  of  a  turkey,  alias  the  Turk,  for — 

*«  Good  mussulmen  abstain  from  pork ;" 

but  it  is  the  most  natural  thing  in  the  world  for  a  pig  to  look 
to  a  goose  for  assistance,  for  the  two  are  fitted  to  be  compan- 
ions ;  they  have  tastes  in  the  same  direction ;  they  are  in  ev- 
ery way  congenial,  and  can  sympathize  with  each  other  heart- 
ily. Look  at  those  eyes  again :  do  they  not  look  doatingly 
upon  the  fair,  round  form  of  the  goose,  alias  the  Russian  ? 
do  they  not  say,  "If  you'll  scratch  my  back,  I'll  scratch 
yours"  ?  Are  they  not  courting  her  for  a  helpmate,  and  tel- 
ling her  that  she  will  make  a  good  one?  Ah  !  who  has  not 
felt  what  a  world  of  expression  there  is  in  the  eye  of  a  pig  ? 
what  winning  confidence !  what  unity  in  all  the  infinite  va- 
riety and  phrases  of  feeling !  all  being  included  in  one  con- 
suming, absorbing  emotion,  self-love  ! 

Too  great  a  degree  of  this  affection  eats  a  man  up.  It 
makes  a  beggar  of  him ;  it  takes  the  starch  out  of  his  ears, 
robs  him  of  his  cleanliness,  together  with  his  dressy  appear- 


184 


COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 


ance,  and  clothes  him  with  rags  and  tatters.  The  more 
clothing  he  has  on  the  more  poor  and  miserable  he  looks ; 
and  as  it  is  the  same  with  the  hog,  the  dressing  of  this  animal 
consists  in  scraping  away  the  clothing  he  has  on,  as  a  gar- 
dener scrapes  away  dirt.  For  the  illustration  of  these  obser- 
vations, compare  the  preceding  hog  with  the  one  following. 
"  What  a  fall  is  that,  my  couutrymen  !" — and  this  in  conse- 
quence of  supreme  selfishness,  when  the  means  for  gratifying 
it  and  for  being  made  happy  and  good-natured,  are  taken 
away !  He  calls  for  help  still ;  he  is  dependent  on  others. 
It  is  so  with  the  person  who  resembles  him.  As  the  means 
of  subsistence  are  gone  from  his  head,  he  holds  out  his  hat 


to  receive  them  at  second  hand  ;  and  he  holds  a  staff  in  his 
hand  to  pick  his  way  with,  showing  what  dry  picking  the 
gutters  afford  him,  and  to  signify  how  little  supper  he  has  to 
lean  upon.  His  staff  is  an  emblem  of  the  "staff  of  life," 
which  is  the  special  object  of  his  pursuit,  and  it  impresses 
the  mind  with  the  idea  that  he  is  a  pilgrim  and  a  stranger, 


THE   HOG.  185 

and  is  looking  for  something  that  he  can't  find.  A  well-dis- 
posed, benevolent  individual  would  suppose  that  it  was  a 
"  city  out  of  sight,"  but  it  is  merely  what  the  coming  hog  is 
looking  for  and  can't  see  till  he  has  hit  it  with  his  nose,  when 
instantly  he  seizes  upon  it  with  all  the  interest  of  a  new  dis- 
covery. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  to  inquire  why  a  person  who  is  su- 
premely selfish  should  be  in  so  destitute  and  miserable  a 
condition.  It  is  simply  this :  his  desire  for  everything,  his 
greediness  to  eat  all  the  world  up,  deprives  him  of  taste  and 
discrimination.  This  accounts  for  the  want  of  taste  in  the 
hog:  he  would  rob  the  very  plants  of  their  nourishment- 


filch  from  the  soil  the  decaying  vegetables  and  the  offal  that 
had  been  placed  there  for  the  production  of  verdure.  He 
seizes  first  upon  that  which  is  thrown  away,  as  being  that 
which  is  most  likely  to  be  lost  if  he  does  not  get  it ;  by  this 
means  he  expects  to  acquire  the  world,  for  he  knows  that  the 
soil  is  the  origin  of  capital,  as  many  a  politician  will  tell  you, 
and  that  the  pennies  make  the  pounds.  The  miser  and  the 
beggar  are  of  this  description :  the  two  are  often  united  in 
one.  It  is  not  in  the  sign  of  economy  that  their  beggarly  dis- 
position is  indicated,  but  in  their  resemblance  to  swine.  The 
hog-formation  is  very  commonly  met  with  in  the  politician 


186  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

also.  The  beggar,  with  his  hat  in  his  hand,  is  electioneering 
for  votes,  and  may  not  be  aware  that  there  is  a  hole  in  the 
bottom  of  his  hat  (we  do  not  say  top,  for,  like  himself,  his  hat 
is  inverted),  for  the  votes  to  fall  out  of.  His  subserviency, 
submission,  independence,  and  firmness,  which  belong  to  the 
top  of  his  head,  are  turned  downward,  and  that  portion  of  his 
head  leaks. 

What  an  ashy  hue,  covering  a  fire  of  life  that  can  scarcely 
glimmer  through  it,  is  seen  in  the  eye  of  that  hog !  Tou  can 
judge  from  the  rest  of  the  countenance  that  the  eye  of  that 
beggar  is  the  same.  They  are  such  eyes  as  glare  upon  you 
in  nightmare,  and  are  expressed  by  the  term  spectral.  They 
indicate  that  there  is  appetite  without  taste ;  that  the  spectre 
is  of  the  kind  whose  god  is  their  belly,  and  who  haunt  those 
who  pay  reverence  to  the  same  deity.  Soft,  rich,  luxuriant 
eyes  indicate  a  great  deal  of  taste,  and  less  appetite :  they 
are  full  of  life  and  beauty,  and  in  every  respect  the  very 
reverse  of  those  of  the  two  beggars  before  represented. 

The  pig  is  never  negligent  of  appearances,  as  we  see  in  the 
last  example,  as  well  as  in  the  preceding;  and  there  is  one 
thing  that  he  has  a  particular  regard  for,  and  that  is,  the  looks 
of  his  tail.  In  the  chapter  concerning  the  rhinoceros  it  was 
seen  how  Appetite,  which  resides  in  the  head,  gains  the  mas- 
tery of  Insensibility,  which  resides  in  the  tail ;  and  it  was 
seen  that  in  the  hog  the  former  takes  pride  in  showing  that 
the  latter  is  its  servant,  while  in  the  rhinoceros  the  two  are  on 
terms  of  friendship  with  each  other.  The  hog  has  the  same 
sort  of  pride  in  his  tail  that  the  aristocrat  has  in  his  footman 
who  rides  modestly  and  proudly  at  the  tail  end  of  his  coach ; 
and  the  pride  comes  from  the  same  source  and  in  the  same 
manner  in  the  latter  instance  as  in  the  former.  The  hog  looks 
askance  at  his  tail,  and  twists  and  flourishes  it  about,  before 
he  touches  the  morsel  that  is  under  his  nose,  as  if  he  would 
ask  permission  to  eat  it  (the  tail  being  the  older),  and  would 
at  the  same  time  twit  the  tail  of  his  ability  and  determination 
to  do  as  he  pleased,  and  would  also  congratulate  that  member 
on  its  share  of  the  bounty,  and  on  having  so  lordly  a  master. 
The  head,  be  it  observed,  is  synpnymous  with  appetite,  and 


THE   HOG.  187 

the  tail  with  insensibility,  as  was  explained  in  the  chapter  re- 
ferred to. 

However  much  an  aristocratic  pig  may  acquire  smoothness 
by  the  shortening  of  his  hair,  and  by  giving  erectness  to  his 
ears  instead  of  to  his  bristles,  he  never  loses  the  least  scrap 
of  his  tail,  unless  by  the  hand  of  violence.  In  fact,  the  more 
he  has  the  appearance  of  being  dressed  for  the  market,  the 
more  he  figures  with  his  tail,  running  through  all  the  Arabic 
characters,  from  1  to  9.  Such  a  close  calculator  is  he,  that 
he  never  misses  his  figure,  and  it  would  never  do  for  him  to 
part  with  the  member  with  which  he  does  his  reckoning,  inas- 
much as  he  reckons  upon  it  so  highly :  as  well  might  a  noble 
lady  part  with  her  footman  as  he  part  with  the  evidence  of 
his  nobility  ;  there  is  no  keeping  up  appearances  without  it ! 

In  the  Chinese,  who  were  proved  in  the  last  chapter  to  re- 
semble hogs,  this  trait  of  character  is  exhibited  to  perfection. 
No  Chinaman,  who  lays  any  claim  to  respectability,  would 
part  with  his  "pig-tail."  It  is  natural  to  him,  and  he  im- 
proves it  by  cultivation.  His  dressing  his  head  in  the  man- 
ner of  dressing  a  pig  is  a  sign  of  consequence,  and  a  conse- 
quence of  high  living  or  of  high  life ;  and  in  the  degree  that 
he  does  this  he  improves  his  pig-tail ;  he  reckons  upon  it,  he 
sets  store  by  it,  and  would  not  part  with  it  for  love,  though 
he  might  possibly  for  money.  Love  with  the  Chinese  is  not 
very  strong,  but  it  is  made  fleshly  by  the  exceeding  grossness 
which  they  share  in  common  with  the  swine.  This  is  proved 
by  the  disgusting  fact  that  in  Canton  and  its  suburbs  there 
are  sixteen  hundred  brothels,  each  of  which  pays,  for  a  monthly 
license  to  the  police,  two  hundred  dollars !  Thus  love  and 
money  are  proved  to  be  synonymous  with  those  who  resem- 
ble swine  —  a  rule  as  applicable  to  one  country  as  to  another. 
The  hog-formation  is  common  to  the  authorities ;  and  it  is 
sometimes  said  figuratively  of  the  hog  that  his  proportions 
are  aldermanic,  but  this  does  not  prove  that  there  are  not 
moral  qualities  in  the  alderman  to  render  the  animal  nature 
entirely  subservient. 

Speaking  of  the  Chinese  in  respect  to  love,  they  are  jealous 
of  their  wives,  and  pen  them  up  as  they  do  pigs,  thus  ac- 


188  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

knowledging  that  there  is  a  relationship  between  them.  Says 
Mr.  Davis  :  "  It  is  the  fate  of  the  emperor's  wives  and  women 
to  reside  for  ever  within  the  walls  of  the  palace ;  and,  after 
his  death,  they  are  confined  for  life  in  a  prison  called  the 
'  Palace  of  Chastity.' "  As  much  as  they  wish  to  enlarge 
themselves,  and  to  have  "  room  and  verge  enough,"  they  wish 
to  cramp  and  confine  their  women,  and  show  that  above  all 
others  on  the  face  of  the  earth  they  deserve  the  title  of  "  lords 
of  creation."  Hence  a  woman  is  esteemed  beautiful  in  their 
eyes  in  proportion  as  she  is  little,  and  a  man  is  esteemed 
beautiful  in  proportion  as  he  is  fat  and  large.  Hence,  too, 
they  cramp  the  feet  of  their  women,  which  are  the  organs 
most  likely  to  run  abroad,  and  make  them  a  great  deal  littler 
than  Nature  made  them.  As  soon  as  a  female  is  born,  if  she 
be  of  the  higher  class,  her  toes  are  doubled  down  under  her 
feet,  and  tightly  bandaged,  so  that  at  the  period  of  maturity 
the  entire  fore  part  of  the  foot  looks  as  if  it  had  been  ampu- 
tated, while  the  sides  and  ankle  are  swelled  to  an  enormous 
extent;  and  these  feet,  manufactured  according  to  their  sci- 
ence of  pedology  as  applied  to  women,  they  call  the  "golden 
lilies,"  in  allusion  doubtless  to  the  modesty  of  which  the  lily 
is  the  emblem,  and  which  this  lesson  is  intended  to  inculcate. 
If  this  is  not  hoggish,  what  other  of  the  traits  that  we  have 
enumerated  may  be  called  so  ? 

As  we  progress  with  our  subject  we  must  refer  occasionally 
to  our  text,  "Man  is  an  animal."  That  all  men  are  not 
the  same  hind  of  animals  is  a  clear  deduction  from  the  facts 
that  have  been  presented,  and  it  is  fortunate  that  they  are 
not.  If  the  Chinaman  resembles  the  hog,  he  must  have  a 
particular  admiration  and  fondness  for  that  animal :  he  must 
rest  back  upon  it  when  he  acknowledges  his  dependence  up- 
on Nature,  and  feels  his  relationship  to  his  mother  earth ; 
and  inasmuch  as  the  hog  is  not  a  fit  animal  to  be  rode  upon, 
he  must  rear  himself  upon  its  flesh.  "What  the  ox  is  to  the 
English,  the  hog  is  to  the  Chinese.  This  appears  from  the 
fact  that  twenty-four  thousand  pigs  are  slaughtered  daily  in  the 
city  of  Canton.  According  to  our  notions,  a  pig  would  be  a 
strange  animal  to  offer  in  sacrifice  to  a  hero  or  to  the  gods ; 


THE   HOG.  189 

but  in  the  fifteen  hundred  temples  dedicated  to  Confucius 
there  are,  among  the  animals  sacrificed  annually,  twenty- 
seven  thousand  pigs !  So  high  an  honor  as  to  be  offered  in 
sacrifice  in  company  with  sheep  and  lambs,  or  even  alone, 
was  never  conferred  upon  the  hog  in  any  other  country  than 
China.  So  absurd  a  thought  never  entered  the  head  of  any- 
body less  ridiculous  than  the  Chinaman  —  but  "no  dispute 
about  taste." 

It  has  been  already  observed  that  the  Chinaman  has  a  taste 
of  his  own.  It  behooves  him  to  make  use  of  whatever  exter- 
nal attractions  are  in  accordance  with  it,  and  to  make  the 
most  of  these  while  young,  for  when  he  gets  old  he  is  exces- 
sively ugly,  and  his  wife  is  no  better  looking  than  he.  "  Pretty 
little  pigs — ugly  old  sow !"  is  especially  applicable  to  China ; 
but  the  pig-tail  is  so  supremely  beautiful,  that  the  loss  of  mi- 
nor beauties  of  complexion,  freshness,  and  expression,  are  not 
missed.  There  is,  however,  a  significance  in  the  shaving 
of  the  head.  It  indicates  that  the  individual  is  formed  to  re- 
ceive impressions  on  the  brain,  and  that  the  mind  is  cleared 
from  brushwood,  and  prepared  to  receive  seed  into  a  virgin 
soil ;  or  that  it  is  like  a  sheet  of  fair  paper,  to  be  written  upon  ; 
that  it  is,  in  short,  an  infant  mind,  plastic,  faithful  to  the  im- 
pression that  is  made  upon  it,  suited  to  the  study  of  letters 
and  words,  learning  its  lessons  by  rote,  and  following  copy, 
or  imitating,  to  perfection.  Hence  the  Chinese  should  be 
scholars,  and  they  who  resemble  them  should  be  men  of  let- 
ters, and  the  hog  himself  should  be  literary.  We  should  see 
the  former  surrounded  with  books  and  papers  in  orderly  con- 
fusion, in  the  midst  of  his  wealth  and  in  the  centre  of  his 
empire,  having  an  eye  to  the  whole,  and  ready  to  dispose  of 
each  particular  object  in  its  proper  order,  and  according  to 
the  rule  — 

44  Discord  is  harmony  not  understood, 
All  partial  evil  universal  good" — 

and  the  hog  we  should  see  surrounded  with  straw,  in  a  cell 
that  is  thoroughly  littered,  where  he  can  feel  perfectly  at 
home,  and  improve  and  grow  fat,  and  enjoy  himself,  instead 
of  living  in  dampness  and  wallowing  in  the  mire. 


190 


C<  >MPARATIYE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


It  is  a  fact  well  worthy  of  observation  that  the  men  of  most 
extensive  learning  have  a  resemblance  to  the  hog.  "We  could 
give  numerous  examples  of  this,  but  one  will  be  sufficient  — 


*£ 


that  of  Erasmus,  who  is  seen  to  have  the  air  and  manner  of 
the  wild-boar.     Appetite  for  intellectual  food,  which  shall 

cause  the  mind,  by  growing, 
to  become  enlarged,  corre- 
sponds  to  appetite  for  the 
food  of  the  body ;  and  as 
the  hog  has  an  appetite  and 
relish  for  everything,  and 
can  digest  everything  that 
he  has  the  least  inclination 
to  swallow,  and  never  be- 
comes disgusted  or  sick  at 
anything  that  can  be  appro- 
priated to  the  formation  of 


THE   HOG.  191 

an  animal,  so  it  is  in  respect  to  the  individual  who  resembles 
a  hog,  and  to  the  food  that  is  capable  of  being  appropriated 
to  the  formation  of  a  human  mind.  The  portrait  on  the  pre- 
ceding page  is  of  Erasmus  reading ;  and  the  boar  looks  as  if 
he  were  in  a  brown  study  —  as  if  he  were  consuming  the 
midnight  oil,  or  lard,  or  fatness,  which  is  very  likely  to  be 
wasted  away  by  too  great  attention  to  books.  Looking  at 
the  eye  of  that  animal,  you  can  hardly  help  imagining  that 
he  is  reading  by  candle-light,  and  that  supreme  silence  reigns 
around  him — that  he  is  reading  the  great  book  of  Nature 
while  she  is  asleep.  He  resembles  the  bear  very  strongly, 
and  there  is  an  important  relation  between  the  hog  and  the 
bear,  as  will  be  seen  by-and-by. 


192 


COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 


CHAPTER   XXV. 


It  is  not  so  easy  to  idealize  the  bear  into  an  eagle  as  to 
change  the  bull  into  a  lion  ;  but  the  polar  bear  (see  page  203) 
is  sufficiently  powerful  of  himself,  and  would  have  the  advan- 
tage over  the  lion  of  being  a  truthful  emblem  of  a  great  and 
powerful  nation.  When  the  lion  shall  eat  straw  like  an  ox, 
the  polar  bear  may  be  our  national  ensign.  The  United  States 
should  stand  confessed  the  "  Ursus  Major,"  the  object  of  uni- 
versal interest,  the  "  polar  star"  of  Freedom  throughout  the 
world. 

"With  the  exception  of  man,  the  polar  bear  is  the  brightest 
example  of  conjugal  attachment  which  the  world  affords,  and 
parental  love  is  here  more  beautifully  and  wonderfully  exem- 
plified than  in  the  eagle.  "What  nobler  emblem,  therefore, 
of  the  character  of  his  government,  or  what  more  appropriate 
badge  of  his  nationality,  could  "  Brother  Jonathan"  require  ? 
Next  to  this,  or  perhaps  we  should  say  before  it,  we  would 
choose  the  Indian,  with  his  bow  and  arrows. 

There  is  a  relation  of  harmony 
between  the  hog  and  the  bear, 
and  this  implies  opposition  as 
well  as  similarity,  and  this  oppo- 
sition must  be  maintained.  The 
king  of  Naples  resembles  that 
kind  of  horse  that  has  most  re- 
semblance to  the  bull ;  and  here 
we  have  a  specimen  of  a  Yankee 
who  resembles  most  that  kind  of 
bear  which  bears  the  strongest 
resemblance  to  the  hog.  The 
Syrian  bear  (which  this  is)  approximates  very  closely  to  the 


THE   BEAR. 


193 


wild-boar,  and  is  as  ugly  in  disposition  as  he  is  in  looks. 
You  recognise  in  him  the  child-hating  savage  that  Indian 


mothers  hold  up  as  objects  of  terror  to  their  little  ones.  Yan- 
kee mothers  do  so  too ;  and  if  you  should  look  in  their  faces 
you  would  see  that  mixture  of  cunning  and  cruelty,  that  un- 
feeling mockery,  that  thoughtless  insensibility,  which  you  see 
here. 

The  polar  bear  is  the  very  contrary  of  all  this.  He  has 
both  the  ability  and  the  will  to  maintain  his  rights,  and  there- 
in he  is  worthy  to  be  honored.  As  male  and  female,  in  their 
mutual  fondness  for  their  offspring,  which  is  based  on  their 
mutual  affection  for  each  other,  they  present  the  most  perfect 
emblem  of  a  true  government  that  the  world  affords.  They 
are  governed  by  their  young,  for  parental  love  rules  them, 
and  it  is  this  which  influences  their  cubs :  and  so  a  republic 
is  governed  by  the  weak  and  dependent  more  than  by  the 
great  and  strong.  The  "  Russian  bear"  (by  which  we  mean 
the  Russian  government)  is  the  very  reverse  of  republican,  for  it 
resembles  a  hog,  and  a  hog  resembles  a  goose.  Russia  takes 
its  cue  from  China,  and  in  connection  with  the  fact  that  the 
Chinese  wear  queues,  or  pig-tails,  it  should  be  observed  that 
the  emperor  Paul  adopted  the  pig-tail,  and  introduced  it  into 
the  army.  His  courage  and  military  display  were  peculiarly 
Chinese,  except  that  they  partook  more  of  the  nature  of  the 
goose  than  of  the  hog. 

There  are  three  personages  of  whom  the  distich  is  true  — 

13 


194 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


"  Great  is  thy  power,  and  great  thy  fame, 
Far  kenned  and  noted  is  thy  name" — 

two  of  them  called  "Nicholas,"  and  the  other  the  bear  that 
is  now  pretty  well  understood  to  be  a  bug-bear.  "Whether  the 
son  of  Paul,  who  represents  the  Eussian  bear  at  present,  in- 
herits the  formidable  qualities  of  his  father,  is  not  yet  fully 
decided.  The  bug-bear  rushes  suddenly  from  under  cover, 
and  cries,  "  Boo !"  which  is  a  very  common  practice  with  the 
hog. 

We  must,  however,  keep  to  our  text,  which  is  the  resem- 
blance between  the  bear  and  the  Yankee.  This  resemblance, 
as  before  observed,  is  particularly  strong.  As  truth  perverted 
is  worse  falsehood  than  any  other,  and  as  hypocrisy  is  more 
infernal  than  any  other  kind  of  wickedness,  so  that  kind  of 
bear  that  is  perverted  into  a  near  resemblance  to  the  hog  re- 
sembles the  meanest  sort  of  a  Yankee,  than  whom  there  can 

be  no  greater  impostor  on 
the  face  of  the  earth.  Than 
such  a  one  there  can  also 
be  no  more  unprincipled 
tyrant,  or,  in  other  words, 
inconsistent  republican,  to 
be  found.  A  sneaking,  un- 
der-ground miner,  descend- 
ing lower  than  the  hog  — 
delving  for  sordid  gain  — 
pandering  to  the  strongest 
—  is  such  a  resemblance  to 
\  bears,  that  disgrace  the 
name  of  their  species,  to 
be  found  on  the  western  continent  ? 

As  the  resemblance  to  the  hog  often  shows  itself  in  an  ex- 
traordinary literary  appetite,  we  are  not  surprised  to  find  that 
the  ursine  sloth  (which,  according  to  natural  history,  would 
be  more  properly  called  the  susine  bear)  has  a  decided  re- 
semblance to  the  literary  loafer.  The  specimen  on  the  page 
following  is  a  rare  character  among  the  native  Indians,  and 


THE   BEAK. 


195 


yet  he  has  an  existence  even  there.     You  may  recognise  him 
in  that  peculiar  lip,  which  bespeaks  the  ambition  for  distinc- 


tion ;  in  that  peculiarly-shaped  nose,  which  indicates  the  abil- 
ity to  run  itself  into  the  ground  ;  and  in  that  general  resem- 
blance to  the  long-lipped  bear  which  indicates  extraordinary 
laziness,  and  the  disposition,  and  thence  the  necessity,  of 


sharing  in  the  prey  that  is  taken  by  the  more  courageous  and 
noble  of  the  species.  The  same  dispositions,  if  the}T  did  not 
follow  so  closely  upon  the  hog  as  to  produce  a  literary  turn, 
and  were  not  so  ursine  as  to  produce  an  indisposition  to  physi- 
cal exertion,  would  make  the  petty  despot,  lording  it  on  his 
own  domains,  like  the  autocrat  of  Russia  on  his,  supported 
and  kept  in  power  by  the  labor  and  indulgence  of  others. 

One  of  the  marks  of  degeneracy  in  the  bear  and  in  the 
Yankee  is  a  peculiar  flat-headedness,  the  result  of  too  near  an 
approximation  to  the  hog.     This  indicates  "  a  flat,"  in  the 


196 


COMPARATIVE    rHYSIOGNOMY. 


ordinary  acceptation  of  the  term,  when  applied  to  character. 
Here  is  a  Yankee  loafer  that  is  allowed  to  belong  to  the  class 


to  which  this  particular  designation  is  applicable.     Bearish- 
ness  is  conspicuous  in  every  limb  and  feature,  and  in  the  very 


look,  but  it  is  like  the  old-fashioned  bearishness  which  is  in- 
digenous to  the  Old  World  mingled  with  that  which  is  in 


THE   BEAR. 


197 


digenous  to  the  "New.  His  appetite,  you  may  be  sure,  is  enor- 
mous, and  makes  a  particular  demand  for  pancakes.  His 
resemblance  is  to  an  old-country  bear,  one  that  carries  him  a 
good  way  off  from  our  immediate  sympathy :  yes,  the  Thibet 
bear  is  like  him ;  they  two  look  enough  alike  to  be  brothers. 
Which  is  the  greater  loafer  it  would  be  difficult  to  tell. 

The  Flat-head  Indians,  by-the-by,  are  an  example  of  what 
is  indicated  by  this  peculiar  form  of  the  physiognomy.  By 
increasing  the  flatness,  they  illustrate  the  self-satisfaction 
which  is  characteristic  of  folly.  Their  resemblance  to  the 
bear  is  quite  remarkable,  and  so  is  that  of  every  other  tribe 
of  American  Indians.  The  Yankee  resembles  the  Indian  in 
whatever  constitutes  a  re- 
semblance to  the  bear,  and 
too  often  in  those  things 
which  constitute  a  resem- 
blance to  the  hog.  The 
Indian  has  small  hands 
and  feet,  and  therein  he 
differs  from  the  bear,  but 
between  him  and  the  Chi- 
naman a  striking  similar- 
ity of  features  and  expres- 
sions has  been  often  ob- 
served. This  is  invariably 
the  case  with  the  meaner 
sort  of  Indians  and  the  same  class  in  China.  The  principle 
of  degeneracy  in  this  case  is  a  loss  of  distinction  between  the 

hog  and  the  bear — a 
sort  of  fusion  and  amal- 
gamation of  the  two  — 
and  this  takes  place, 
although  the  Indians 
and  the  Chinese  never 
see  each  other. 

Above  is  a  charac- 
teristic Indian  face  — 
and  it  is  seen  to  have 


198  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

a  great  deal  of  Yankee  expression  in  it.  The  grizzly  bear  is 
the  variety  that  claims  the  honor  of  this  comparison.  There 
is  nothing  of  that  leering,  sneaking,  dishonest  expression  which 
there  is  in  the  foreign  bears  and  in  the  countenances  that  re- 
semble them,  but  a  straight-forward,  hungry,  mind-his-own- 
business  expression  which  it  is  gratifying  to  meet  with  in  a 
savage  of  such  extraordinary  prowess.  In  California  there  is 
a  tribe  of  Indians,  called  Boot-diggers,  whose  track  is  so  like 
that  of  the  grizzly  bear,  that  it  can  only  be  distinguished  by 
the  size.  The  ball  of  the  foot  is  more  deeply  indented  in  the 
ground  in  consequence  of  their  treading  more  heavily  on  that 
part  of  the  foot,  like  an  animal.  They  are  thought  by  some 
to  be  a  link  between  man  and  brute,  as  if  it  were  possible  for 
such  a  link  to  exist.  And  why  is  this  ?  It  is  because  their 
resemblance  to  the  bear  has  degenerated  into  that  of  the  hosr. 
They  subsist  entirely  on  roots  and  acorns,  refusing  flesh,  and 
having  no  knowledge  of  agriculture.  The  only  article  they 
are  capable  of  manufacturing  is  a  basket,  so  tightly  woven  as 
to  hold  water ;  and  this  is  invariably  conical,  so  that  when 
they  set  it  down  they  must  make  a  hole  in  the  ground  to  re- 
ceive it.  This  reminds  us  of  the  Chinese  cap,  and  of  the  form 
that  is  characteristic  of  the  Chinese  architecture.  They  make 
themselves  holes  to  crawl  into  by  sticking  bushes  into  the 
ground,  bending  them  over,  and  placing  dirt  upon  the  top ; 
and  there  they  live  like  hogs.  They  propagate  their  species 
at  the  season  proper  to  animals,  and  have  the  smallest  degree 
of  parental  love,  as  they  have  not  the  least  of  the  conjugal. 
They  converse  more  by  the  motions  of  their  bodies  than  by 
words,  and  seem  to  know  scarcely  anything.  They  spend 
most  of  their  time  upon  their  haunches.  They  are  naked 
and  exceedingly  filthy.  Their  arms  are  short  and  stubby,  the 
bone  from  the  shoulder  to  the  elbow  being  long  in  proportion 
to  the  forearm,  the  hand  bearing  no  small  resemblance  to  a 
paw,  and  the  whole  arm  bent  and  inclined  inward,  like  the 
hind  feet  of  the  bear.  Their  faces  are  ugly,  and  vacant  of 
anything  human  except  in  so  small  a  degree  that  it  is  scarcely 
to  be  perceived.  In  short,  they  illustrate  perfectly  the  prin- 
ciple that  confounding  the  resemblance  of  the  bear  with  that 


THE  BEAR. 


199 


of  the  hog  is  the  lowest  degradation  to  which  it  is  possible  to 
attain. 
If  we  were  going  to  have  a  sermon  on  that  subject,  it  could 


not  be  more  appropriately  given  than  by  one  who  resembles 
a  bear,  as  it  must  be  supposed  that  such  a  one  would  have  a 
better  appreciation  of 
the  subject  than  any 
other.  The  person  who 
resembles  such  a  bear 
as  this  must  have  a 
tongue,  and  be  able  to 
use  it.  He  will  paw 
about  his  ideas  over 
the  heads  of  his  audi- 
ence, until  he  has  mag- 
netized them  into  a 
sound  sleep!  He  is 
no  "  flat,"  as  you  can 
see  at  a  glance,  but  to 
be  at  the  opposite  extreme  is  almost  as  bad : — 


200  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

11  His  speech  is  a  fine  sample,  on  the  whole, 
Of  rhetoric  which  the  learned  call  rigmarole." 

You  can  not  doubt  of  his  ability  to  do  justice  to  pork  and 
beans,  and  that  he  would  prefer  dumplings  to  pancakes : — 

"  The  large,  round  dumpling,  rolling  from  the  pot," 

is  the  signal  for  extraordinary  preparations.  The  reason  for 
his  head  being  so  round  is,  its  perfect  sympathy  with  his 
stomach.  The  bear  that  resembles  him  in  this  and  other  re- 
spects is  a  Bornean,  and  one  that  killed  himself  with  kindness, 
in  the  benevolent  labor  of  endeavoring  to  satisfy  appetite. 

An  Indian  is  capable  of  compensating  in  a  single  meal  for 
a  fast  of  several  days,  and  of  voluntarily  abstaining  for  a  week 
in  anticipation  of  a  bear-hunt ;  for  hunger  stimulates  destruc- 
tiveness,  and  goads  him  to  desperation.  He  needs  a  basti- 
nado like  this  to  compel  him  to  kill  the  bear,  for  the  bear  is 
his  divinity  in  form,  his  beau-ideal,  the  very  perfection  of  that 
savage  nature  which  he  delights  in. 

"  The  pursuit  of  these  animals,"  says  a  writer  on  natural 
history,  "  is  a  matter  of  the  first  importance  to  some  of  the 
Indian  tribes,  and  is  never  undertaken  without  much  cere- 
mony. A  principal  warrior  gives  a  general  invitation  to  all 
the  hunters.  This  is  followed  by  a  strict  fast  of  eight  days, 
in  which  they  totally  abstain  from  food,  but  during  which  the 
day  is  passed  in  continual  song.  This  is  done  to  invoke  the 
spirits  of  the  woods  to  direct  the  hunters  to  the  places  where 
there  are  abundance  of  bears.  They  even  cut  the  flesh  in 
divers  parts  of  their  bodies,  to  render  the  spirits  more  propi- 
tious. They  also  address  themselves  to  the  spirits  of  the  beasts 
slain  in  preceding  chases,  and  implore  these  to  direct  them 
to  an  abundance  of  game.  The  chief  of  the  hunt  now  gives  a 
great  feast,  at  which  no  one  dares  to  appear  without  first 
bathing.  At  this  entertainment,  contrary  to  their  usual  cus- 
tom, they  eat  with  great  moderation.  The  master  of  the  feast 
touches  nothing,  but  is  employed  in  relating  to  the  guests  an- 
cient tales  of  feats  in  former  chases ;  and  fresh  invocations  to 
the  spirits  of  the  deceased  bears  conclude  the  whole 

"As  soon  as  a  bear  is  killed,  a  hunter  puts  into  his  mouth 


THE   BEAR. 


201 


a  lighted  pipe  of  tobacco,  and,  blowing  into  it,  fills  the  throat 
with  smoke,  conjuring  the  spirit  of  the  animal  not  to  resent 
what  they  are  about  to  do  to  its  body,  or  to  render  their  future 
chases  unsuccessful.  As  the  beast  makes  no  reply,  they  cut 
out  the  string  of  the  tongue,  and  throw  it  into  the  fire.  If 
it  crackle  and  shrivel  up  (which  it  is  almost  sure  to  do),  they 
accept  this  as  a  good  omen ;  if  not,  they  consider  that  the 
spirit  of  the  beast  is  not  appeased,  and  that  the  chase  of  the 
next  year  will  be  unfortunate." 

But  the  Indian  must  give  way.      We  call  the  English 
"  John  Bull ;"  in  return  for  the  compliment,  we  think  they 


should  call  us  "Neighbor  Bruin." 


The  largest  rivers,  lakes, 
bears,  and  Yankees,  are  to  be  found  here.    The  American 


202  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

who  looks  across  the  water  for  his  ideas  and  other  commodi- 
ties will  resemble  the  European  bear,  which  has  more  of  a 
swinish  look  and  disposition  than  our  own ;  or  he  will  resem- 
ble the  grizzly  bear  in  the  "  Zoological  Gardens."  The  Amer- 
ican black  bear,  in  the  degree  that  he  approaches  the  pig,  is 
less  noble  than  some  of  the  other  varieties,  but  his  look  is  that 
of  a  genuine  Yankee  notwithstanding.  The  foregoing  is  a 
regular  "  Down-Easter,"  and  the  animal  that  looks  like  his 
shadow  is  an  old-fashioned  ISTew  England  bear.  Dress  "  Broth- 
er Jonathan"  (of  whom  this  is  an  accurate  representation)  in 
Indian  costume,  and  you  could  almost  swear  that  he  was  an 
Indian,  and  that  intercourse  with  the  pale  faces  had  turned 
him  white. 

There  is  a  style  of  American  face  superior  to  this :  it  is 
that  which  is  most  commonly  met  with  in  the  capitol  of  the 
nation ;  and  there  is  a  variety  of  Indian  face  that  corresponds 
with  it.  The  Americans  with  this  cast  of  countenance  are  of 
the  grizzly  variety;  they  are  hard  to  kill,  and,  under  severe 
provocation,  when  their  revenge  is  roused,  they  are  fearful 
enemies  to  grapple  with.  The  temperament  is  melancholic, 
and  therewith  mild  and  gentle,  but  exceedingly  powerful. 
The  Indian,  like  the  bear,  spends  his  life  in  the  woods,  is  taci- 
turn, dark,  gloomy,  and  retired,  and  by  nature  a  perfect  sav- 
age ;  but  by  distinguishing  these  traits  from  those  which  are 
similar  in  the  hog,  we  have  them  represented  on  a  higher 
plane,  as  in  the  variety  of  American  character  just  referred 
to.  This  resemblance  is  seen  in  the  gait  and  posture  as  well 
as  in  the  face. 

But  the  polar  bear,  represented  on  the  following  page,  with 
his  fine  Indian  counterpart,  resembles  a  nobler  race  of  Ameri- 
cans still.  These  are  they  who  represent  greatness,  the  pillars 
of  the  constitution,  with  clear,  cold  intellects,  touched  only 
by  moonbeams,  that  have  no  power  to  dissolve  them.  They 
represent  truth,  uninfluenced  by  fear  or  favor.  With  less  of 
clemency,  tenderness,  and  forbearance,  than  the  last  men- 
tioned, they  are  nevertheless  the  guardians  of  these,  and  as 
such  they  loom  up  in  the  distance,  cloud-capped  and  dismal, 
and — 


THE   BEAU. 


203 


like  giants  stand 


To  sentinel  enchanted  land." 

And  yet  under  that  cold  exterior  there 
is  the  lava  of  love  ;  under  that  snow- 
white  mantle  there  is  a  warm  heart  that 
can  not  endure  a  nearer  approach  to  the 
sun ;  beneath  that  countenance,  "  emo- 
tionless as  the  sphinx,"  there  is  the  well- 
spring  of  sympathy  and  good  feeling : — 

"The  gloomy  outside 


Contains  the  shining  treasure  of  a  soul, 
Resolved  and  brave/' 

The  cavern,  overhung  with  ice-crags, 
which  he  makes  his  home,  is  the  guard 
of  domestic  virtue ;  obtained  with  diffi- 
culty, it  is  secure  from  danger,  and  the 
love  which  conquers  all  things  preserves 
the  treasure  which  it  obtained  by  toil  and 
suffering. 

The  strength,  bravery,  faithfulness, 
and  parental  affection  of  the  polar  bear, 
are  so  interesting  as  to  be  familiar  to  ev- 
ery reader ;  but  for  that  very  reason  we 


204  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

may  venture  to  quote  the  following  in  illustration  of  the  noble 
virtues  that  may  be  set  forth,  or  at  least  symbolized,  by  a  sav- 
age monster,  being  those  very  traits  in  the  animal  nature  upon 
which  should  be  reared  the  superstructure  of  American  char- 
acter, and  hence  of  American  institutions.  We  would  remark 
here  that  the  courage  of  the  white  bear  is  essential  to  his  other 
good  qualities : — 

"  Of  the  ferocity  of  the  polar  bear,  Barentz  gives  a  striking 
proof.  In  Nova  Zembla  they  attacked  his  sailors,  carried 
them  off  in  their  mouths  with  the  utmost  facility,  and  de- 
voured them  in  sight  of  their  comrades.  A  few  years  ago, 
some  sailors  in  a  boat  fired  at  and  wounded  one.  In  spite  of 
his  receiving  another  shot,  he  swam  after  the  boat,  and  en- 
deavored to  climb  into  it.  One  of  his  feet  was  cut  off  with  a 
hatchet,  but  he  still  pursued  the  aggressors  to  the  ship.  Nu- 
merous additional  wounds  did  not  check  his  fury :  mutilated 
as  he  was,  he  ascended  the  ship's  side,  drove  the  sailors  into 
the  shrouds,  and  was  following  them  thither,  when  a  mortal 
shot  stretched  him  dead  on  the  deck. 

"  But  even  this  formidable  animal  is  not  without  its  good 
qualities.  It  is  a  faithful  mate  and  an  affectionate  parent. 
Hearne  tells  us  that,  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  the  males 
are  so  much  attached  to  their  mates,  that  he  has  often  seen 
one  of  them,  on  a  female  being  killed,  come  and  put  his  paws 
over  her,  and  rather  suffer  himself  to  be  shot  than  abandon 
her. 

"  "While  the  Carcase  frigate,  which  went  out  some  years 
ago  to  make  discoveries  toward  the  North  pole,  was  locked 
in  the  ice,  early  one  morning  the  man  at  the  mast-head  gave 
notice  that  three  bears  were  making  their  way  very  fast  over 
the  frozen  ocean,  and  were  directing  their  course  toward  the 
ship.  They  had,  no  doubt,  been  invited  by  the  scent  of  some 
blubber  of  a  walrus  that  the  crew  had  killed  a  few  days  be- 
fore, which  had  been  set  on  fire,  and  was  burning  on  the  ice 
at  the  time  of  their  approach.  They  proved  to  be  a  she-bear 
and  her  two  cubs,  but  the  cubs  were  nearly  as  large  as  the 
dam.  They  ran  eagerly  to  the  fire,  and  drew  out  of  the  flames 
part  of  the  flesh  of  the  walrus  that  remained  unconsumed,  and 


THE   BEAE.  205 

ate  it  voraciously.  The  crew  from  the  ship  threw  upon  the 
ice  great  lumps  of  the  flesh  of  the  sea-horse  which  they  had 
still  remaining.  These  the  old  bear  fetched  away  singly,  laid 
every  lump  before  her  cubs  as  she  brought  it,  and  dividing 
it,  gave  to  each  a  share,  reserving  but  a  small  portion  to  her- 
self. As  she  was  fetching  away  the  last  piece,  the  sailors  lev- 
elled their  muskets  at  the  cubs,  and  shot  them  both  dead ; 
and  in  her  retreat  they  wounded  the  dam,  but  not  mortally. 
It  would  have  drawn  tears  of  pity  from  any  but  unfeeling 
minds  to  have  marked  the  affectionate  concern  expressed  by 
this  poor  beast  in  the  last  moments  of  her  expiring  young 
ones.  Though  she  was  herself  dreadfully  wounded,  and  could 
but  just  crawl  to  the  place  where  they  lay,  she  carried  the 
lump  of  flesh  she  had  fetched  away,  as  she  had  done  others 
before,  tore  it  in  pieces,  and  laid  it  before  them ;  and  when 
she  saw  that  they  refused  to  eat,  she  laid  her  paws  first  upon 
one  and  then  upon  the  other,  and  endeavored  to  raise  them 
up.  When  she  found  she  could  not  stir  them,  she  went  off, 
and  when  she  had  got  to  some  distance  she  looked  back  and 
moaned.  Finding  this  to  no  purpose,  she  returned,  and,  smel- 
ling round,  began  to  lick  their  wounds.  She  went  off  a  sec- 
ond time  as  before;  and,  having  crawled  a  few  paces,  looked 
again  behind  her,  and  for  some  time  stood  moaning.  But 
still  her  cubs  not  rising  to  follow  her,  she  returned  to  them 
again,  and,  with  signs  of  inexpressible  fondness,  went  round 
pawing  them  and  moaning.  Finding  at  last  that  they  were 
cold  and  lifeless,  she  raised  her  head  toward  the  ship,  and 
uttered  a  growl  of  despair,  which  the  murderers  returned  with 
a  volley  of  musket-balls.  She  fell  between  her  cubs,  and  died 
licking  their  wounds." 


206 


COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY 


CHAPTER   XXYI. 

This  man  resembles  an  Indian  (foreigner  though  he  be), 
and  it  is  plain  that  he  resembles  both  the  Yankee  and  the 
bear.  There  is  something  in  the  look  of  the  eye  (a  kind  of 
Indian  squint),  and  something  in  the  cast  of  the  nose  and  lip, 
and  the  angle  of  the  mouth,  and  in  the  hair,  that  shows  a  re- 
markable agreement  with  the  accompanying  bear,  which  is 


one  of  the  grizzly  bears  in  the  Zoological  Gardens.  Watch 
those  eyes  narrowly  (the  bear's  eyes),  and  you  will  see  some- 
thing roguish  in  them :  that  is  Yankee  roguishness.  It  is 
coupled,  you  see,  with  a  wonderfully  honest  expression  in  the 
other  parts  of  the  countenance,  and  with  a  tout  ensemble  that 
excites  your  sympathy,  and  prepares  you  to  be  taken  in. 
Your  first  impression  is  that  he  is  in  a  deplorable  situation, 
and  that  he  would  not  deceive  you  for  all  the  world,  and  you 
are  ready  to  give  him  as  good  a  bargain  as  he  asks.  You 
feel  assured  that  he  is  sufficiently  self-sacrificing  to  take  up 
with  "  a  living  profit,"  and  to  live  on  porridge  in  order  that 
you  may  be  supplied  with  all  the  articles  of  luxury  and  refine- 


THE   BEAK.  207 

ment  that  you  desire.  He  makes  you  think  that,  being  in 
want  of  the  necessaries,  he  parts  with  his  things  at  a  sacrifice ; 
that  you  would  very  greatly  oblige  him  if  you  would  consult 
your  own  interest ;  or  that  you  are  a  very  benevolent  individ- 
ual, without  any  eye  to  selfish  advantage  —  whichever  you 
please  :  and  the  result  may  be,  that  you  will  exchange  neces- 
saries for  luxuries,  and  be  in  want  of  the  former  while  he 
enjoys  them  both.  There  is  a  great  disposition  in  people  to 
put  confidence  in  the  bear,  but  he  is  generally  known  to  be 
more  treacherous  than  he  looks.  Again  we  say,  study  those 
eyes,  for  they  are  a  study :  do  you  not  see  that  they  "  reckon" 
and  "  kind  o'  calculate"  ?  They  are  full  of  study  —  there  are 
volumes  in  them. 

The  Yankee  says  frankly  that  he  a  guesses,"  for  like  other 
people  he  attaches  merit  to  his  peculiarities.  It  is  "  specula- 
tion" that  you  see  in  those  eyes,  both  the  bear's  and  the  man's. 
You  can  discover  in  that  man's  countenance  that  his  head  is 
full  of  plans  and  projects.  He  would  make  a  good  represen- 
tative in  Congress,  for  it  is  such  like  people  that  are  sent 
there.  The  bear  represents  the  American  people,  and  it  is 
very  proper  that  their  representatives  in  Congress  should  be 
bears  in  various  ways,  as  they  are  proved  to  be.  They  look 
like  the  preceding  animal  when  they  are  thinking  of  the 
"  loaves  and  fishes,"  but  they  are  "  ravenous  as  bears"  when 
it  comes  to  a  demonstration  of  the  principle  that  "  to  the  vic- 
tors belong  the  spoils."  But  this  too  literal  resemblance  to 
the  bear  is  illustrated  chiefly  in  personal  and  sectional  inter- 
ests, while  the  a  affairs  of  the  nation"  call  for  a  resemblance 
upon  a  higher  plane,  where  the  moral  and  intellectual  facul- 
ties predominate  over  the  animal. 

The  older  the  Americans  grow,  the  more  they  look  and  act 
like  bears,  provided  the  animal  nature  is  not  kept  under  by 
cultivation  and  refinement.  Observe  how  much  the  foregoing 
bear  resembles,  in  posture  and  in  every  thing,  the  remnant  of 
old  people  who  come  under  the  denomination  of  "  revolution- 
ary soldiers."  In  the  manner  of  standing  there  is  something 
original ;  it  looks  like  standing  to  make  a  speech  of  four  hours' 
length;  it  is  Websterian,  is  it  not?    The  walk  is  equally 


208 


COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 


singular ;  it  is  a  kind  of  "  Indian  trot,"  a  gait  which  the  green 
Yankee  has  fallen  into  as  if  it  were  natural  to  him.     The 

Indian  female  here  presented 
is  an  example  of  it;  and  the 
following,  which  is  the  grizzly- 
bear  in  motion,  exhibits  the  gait 
in  its  original  perfection.  It 
is  evident,  too,  that  the  "  In- 
dian dance"  and  the  "  bear- 
dance"  are  very  similar ;  and 
Yankee  dancing  differs  very 
little  from  either,  as  illustrated 
by  Darley  in  the  portrait  of 
Ichabod  Crane  taking  part  in 
a  dance,  in  which  the  position 
of  the  arms  and  the  motion  of 
the  nether  extremities  are  wor- 
thy of  Bruin. 

The  Indian  is  seen  generally 

looking  down ;  he  walks  with 

a  limberness  of  the  knees ;  he 

sets  down  the  whole  foot  at 

once,  but  rises  upon  the  toe  when  the  foot  leaves  the  ground  : 

he  turns  his  toes  inward,  and  his  fingers  outward  when  he 


THE   BEAR.  209 

rests  his  hands ;  and  in  these  and  other  ursine  resemblances 
the  modern  native  American  is  his  inferior.  But  as  noble  a 
superstructure  may  be  built  upon  this  basis  as  upon  any  other, 
and  before  we  get  through  we  may  say  "  a  nobler."  Here  is 
the  face  of  an  Indian,  a  Chippeway  warrior,  that  resembles 
the  grizzly  bear,  while  it  exhib- 
its the  signs  of  benevolence, 
probity,  and  justice,  with  pru- 
dence and  discretion.  His 
name,  Meta-Koosega,  or  Pure 
Tobacco,  compared  with  the 
names  of  other  Indian  warriors, 
is  expressive  of  rare  virtue  and 
excellence;  —  and  should  you 
meet  him  in  the  forest,  you 
would  not  doubt  for  a  moment, 
on  looking  at  his  face,  of  his 
willingness  to  smoke  with  you 
the  pipe  of  peace.  There  is  something  in  the  temperament 
and  contour,  the  gait  and  carriage,  and  in  the  general  expres- 
sion, that  constitutes  a  striking  resemblance  between  the  In- 
dian and  the  bear. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  parent-bear  and  the  cub  are  very 
much  attached  to  each  other.  The  passion  of  parental  love 
in  the  former  is  indicated  by  the  length  and  elevation  of  the 
loins,  of  which  the  polar  variety  is  the  strongest  example. 
We  have  read  that  a  bear,  having  lost  her  cubs,  has  carried 
off  pigs  from  a  sty,  and  adopted  them  as  her  own — which 
was  most  natural,  considering  that  there  is  so  much  affinity 
between  the  hog  and  the  bear,  and  that  parental  love  in  the 
latter  is  so  very  strong.  The  length  and  vigor  of  the  loins 
in  the  squaw,  indicating  the  same  quality  of  parental  love  as 
in  the  bear,  is  very  great,  and  it  is  known  that  the  Indians 
have  many  times  stolen  children  from  the  whites  and  brought 
them  up  in  their  own  way.  On  the  following  page  is  the  por- 
trait of  a  female  who  was  reared  by  Indians,  having  been 
captured  by  them  in  infancy ;  and  we  see  how  completely 
she  is  metamorphosed  into  a  resemblance  of  her  foster-parents. 

14 


210 


COMPAKATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


The  change  appears, to  have  been  inimical  to  beauty, perhaps 
because  it  was  too  sudden,  or  because  the  materials  were  not 
of  the  right  kind. 

Parental  love  in  the 
bear  is  reciprocated  by 
an  almost  equal  de- 
gree of  filial  affection 
on  the  part  of  the  cub. 
In  the  young  Indian 
the  affection  for  pa- 
rents is  very  strong. 
The  whole  race  of  ab- 
original Americans  — 
that  are  worthy  of  the 
name — are  celebrated 
for  their  love  and  rev- 
erence for  their  forefathers  and  the  graves  of  their  ancestors. 
Filial  affection,  which  reciprocates  parental,  causes  the  cub 
and  the  Indian  child  to  be  more  fully  formed  than  others  at 
the  same  age,  and  to  be  early  developed  but  not  precocious, 
in  order  that  they  may  do  as  much  for  their  parents  as  their 
parents  have  done  for  them.  This  mutual  strength  of  paren- 
tal and  filial  affection  has  the  mutual  love  of  the  parents  for 
its  foundation  and  ho  other ;  and  this  foundation  is  stronger 
in  the  Indian  than  in  any  other  savage  in  the  world,  and 
stronger  in  the  bear  than  in  any  other  beast.  The  poignant 
grief  and  suffering  of  the  Indian  when  his  wife  and  children 
are  taken  from  him  by  the  malice  of  an  enemy,  show  the 
strength  and  nobleness  of  his  nature,  and  how  excellent  a 
foundation  for  a  superstructure  of  civilization  and  refinement 
is  a  resemblance  to  the  bear.  As  the  conjugal  relation  is  the 
origin  of  all  others,  so  conjugal  love  is  the  basis  of  all  the  do- 
mestic and  social  affections,  and  all  the  relations  of  life  are 
dependent  upon  these.  Brother  Jonathan,  therefore,  in  his 
resemblance  to  the  Indian  and  the  bear,  has  a  more  glorious 
destiny  than  any  nation  in  the  world,  and  it  is  only  a  degen- 
eracy like  that  of  some  of  the  Indian  tribes  into  a  resemblance 
to  the  hog  (which  is  the  very  opposite  of  the  bear  in  respect 


THE   BEAK.  211 

to  conjugal,  parental,  and  filial  affection)  that  will  destroy 
him. 

Be  it  observed  that  filial  love  is  appropriate  to  the  child, 
though  it  reciprocates  parental  affection  and  is  like  parental 
love  in  relation  to  second  childhood,  and  that  it  preserves 
childhood  and  develops  manhood  at  the  same  time.  The 
bear,  the  Indian,  and  the  Yankee,  agree  in  this  :  they  exhibit 
a  remarkable  degree  of  forwardness  at  the  outset,  and  at  the 
same  time  an  uncouthness  of  figure  and  gesture  that  is  in  lu- 
dicrous contrast  with  the  shrewdness  of  the  intellect.  The 
early  development  of  manhood,  and  of  the  bodily  and  mental 
strength  appropriate  to  it,  together  with  the  preservation  of 
childhood,  and  the  consequent  backwardness  and  immaturity, 
are  illustrated  in  Daniel  "Webster  (a  portrait  of  whom  is  pre- 
sented on  the  following  page),  Henry  Clay,  and  very  many 
of  our  public  men,  as  well  as  in  the  Indian.  How  often  do 
we  see  the  "  overgrown  boy"  in  the  person  of  some  distin- 
guished individual,  a  powerful  orator,  a  wise  counsellor,  a 
great  statesman !  A  person  not  experienced  would  call  him 
a  "country  bumpkin,"  a  "greenhorn,"  and  various  other 
names,  expressing  the  infantile  side  of  the  character,  without 
taking  a  view  of  the  manly  one. 

The  genuine  Yankee,  who  presents  the  true  type  of  the 
American  character,  has  no  local  habitation,  but,  like  the  In- 
dian, is  diffused  everywhere  over  this  North  American  conti- 
nent. It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  he  originated  in  New 
England  :  the  national  peculiarities  were  first  developed  there, 
but  the  Yankee  is  a  production  of  every  state  in  the  Union, 
and  his  characteristics  increase  in  intensity  in  proportion  to 
his  wandering  habits  and  to  his  occupation  of  the  territories 
of  the  red  man.  In  Oregon,  Texas,  California,  and  New 
Mexico,  he  is  more  a  Yankee  than  ever,  and  his  new  provin- 
cialisms show  his  love  of  being  separate  and  distinct  from  all 
others.  He  is  as  intent  upon  creating  a  nationality  of  his 
own  as  we  should  suppose  it  possible  to  be  if  the  Indian  were 
not  a  stronger  example  of  the  same  disposition.  But  in  a 
mining  country  those  who  resemble  bears  are  more  liable  to 
run  into  a  resemblance  to  the  hog  than  in  any  other,  as  is 


212 


COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 


evident  from  the  greater  resemblance  of  the  Indian  tribes  in 
those  regions  to  the  latter  animal  than  to  the  former.  "Where 
the  bear  is  noblest,  there  the  American  may  be  so,  and  there 
also  he  is  most  liable  to  perversion.  Where  Indian  civiliza- 
tion was  greatest,  there  Indian  degradation  is  lowest,  and  so 
it  must  be  with  the  white  men  who  occupy  their  places. 

Of  all  simpletons  and  fools,  the  Yankee  charlatan  and  im- 
postor is  the  shallowest  and  most  disgusting.  In  the  pos- 
session of  slyness,  affectation,  and  imposture,  he  resembles 
the  Indian ;  and  these,  combined  with  a  roaming  disposition, 
acquisitiveness,  and  the  love  of  traffic,  make  the  "  Yankee 
pedlar,"  famed  for  taking  everything  in  exchange,  and  thus 
for  the  variety  of  his  goods.  Now  the  Indians  whom  we 
have  known  from  our  childhood  are  those  who  wander  about 
peddling  moccasins,  besides  brooms  and  baskets  made  of 
wood,  split,  and  splintered,  and  stained,  and  who  receive  in 
exchange  provisions,  clothes,  and  money ;  and  though  they 


THE   BEAK. 


213 


appear  so  very  demure,  they  are  very  fond  of  practical  jokes, 
which  they  perpetrate  with  great  gravity  —  a  peculiarity  in 
which  the  Yankee  partakes  as  if  it  were  natural  to  him.  The 
latter  resorts  to  "  tricks  in  trade"  with  as  much  sobriety  as 
the  Indian  —  with  the  seriousness  of  one  who  is  engaged  in  a 
lawful  calling.  If  this  is  proof  of  any  relationship  between 
the  Indian  and  the  Jew,  the  white  American  will  also,  in  the 
course  of  time,  prove  himself  to  be  the  same  lost  tribe  that 
the  Indians  are  supposed  to  be. 

Why  is  it  that  "  Brother  Jonathan,"  when  he  is  "  driving  a 
bargain,"  whittles  a  stick  ?  and  why  is  it  that  he  drives  the 
stick  into  the  ground  when  he  comes  to  the  conclusion  that 
he  has  "  a  Yankee  to  deal  with"  ?  This  is  a  question  that  a 
philosopher  might  be  puzzled  to  answer.  Be  it  observed, 
however,  that  the  extemporaneous  mechanic  is  engaged  in 
whittling  out  an  arrow ;  that  he  points  it,  and  is  prepared  to 
shoot  it,  like  an  Indian  —  when  suddenly  he  discovers  that, 
for  the  lack  of  coolness,  or  in  consequence  of  the  shrewdness 
of  the  person  he  has  to  deal  with,  he  has  "  run  the  thing  into 
the  ground"  —  a  misfortune  which  he  commemorates  by  dri- 
ving down  the  stick,  and  marking  the  spot  where  it  happened. 


214  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

The  Indian  is  a  hunter :  at  all  times  and  under  all  circum- 
stances he  is  found  in  some  search  or  research,  either  pro- 
found or  superficial,  and  this  gives  him  that  thoughtful,  medi- 
tative look,  which  it  is  so  difficult  to  penetrate.  In  this  he 
is  like  the  Yankee  on  the  one  hand  and  the  bear  on  the  other. 
The  look  we  are  speaking  of  is  often  mistaken  for  a  proof  of 
something  extraordinary  —  as  if  the  person  could  search  for 
nothing  of  less  importance  than  the  philosopher's  stone,  when 
the  truth  is  he  can  not  search  for  anything,  not  even  for  a  flea, 
without  the  same  expression  of  mysterious  learning.  To  most 
people  such  faces  are  impenetrable,  for  the  simple  reason  that 
they  indicate  the  ignorance  of  the  mind  in  regard  to  the  mys- 
teries that  it  is  engaged  in  penetrating ;  but  this,  we  perceive, 
is  a  proof  of  the  want  of  knowledge,  and  it  may  relate  to 
trifles  as  well  as  to  matters  of  consequence.  The  Indian 
receives  much  greater  credit  for  wisdom  than  he  deserves ; 
and  one  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  Yankee  is  his  uncommon 
sapience  in  matters  that  he  knows  nothing  about.  It  is  his 
business  to  hunt,  and  nothing  is  found  that  he  himself  has  not 
discovered.  If  you  tell  him  anything  new,  he  expresses  no 
surprise,  but  professes  to  have  known  it  all  before,  and  still 
wears  that  sage  expression  which  indicates  that  he  is  penetra- 
ting still  deeper  into  the  same  subject.  Be  he  never  so  igno- 
rant, his  hunting  disposition  makes  him  wise  in  politics  and 
in  the  affairs  of  the  country  generally,  and  you  can  hint  at 
nothing  in  divinity  or  law,  or  in  ancient  or  modern  history, 
that  he  is  not  familiar  with.  As  this  is  from  a  propensity  of 
his  that  must  needs  be  gratified,  it  requires  only  the  removal 
of  hypocrisy  by  honesty,  and  self-love  by  benevolence,  to  make 
him  in  reality  what  he  claims  to  be. 

We  have  been  struck  with  the  excess  of  the  Yankee  pecu- 
liarity described  above  in  the  character  of  the  Indian  —  in 
one  who  is  penetrated  with  a  literary  ambition.  He  wishes 
to  fire  everybody  with  the  idea  that  he  is  a  wit,  a  poet,  and 
a  scholar.  Nothing  disturbs  his  equanimity,  nothing  surprises 
him.  He  listens  to  everything  you  say  as  if  he  did  not  hear, 
and  looks  as  if  he  might  enlighten  your  ignorance  beyond 
measure,  if  it  were  not  for  the  vulgar  astonishment  that  would 


THE   BEAK.  215 

be  excited,  and  the  attention  that  he  wishes  to  avoid.     But 
he  is  one  of  those  whom  prudence  forsakes  in  consequence  of 

"  Vaulting  ambition  that  o'erleaps  itself." 
He  "  attempts  to  live  by  his  wits,  and  fails  for  want  of  stock," 
and  then  is  discovered  his  true  genius,  which  is  his  ability 
to  "  run  his  face"  for  whatever  literary  capital  may  be  neces- 
sary to  acquire  him  fame  —  till  he  runs  himself  out! 

The  bear  looks  always  as  if  he  were  intent  upon  the  object 
of  pursuit.  In  his  solitary  wandering  he  is  not  tempted  to 
turn  aside  except  to  revenge  himself.  His  instinct  demands 
to  be  let  alone,  and  he  concedes  the  same  privilege  to  others. 
In  these  respects  the  Indian  and  the  Yankee  agree  with  him 
perfectly.  The  sense  of  individual  rights  is  very  strong  in 
them  as  well  as  in  him.  They  will  not  be  trampled  upon ; 
they  will  not  pay  tribute,  nor  render  involuntary  service ;  the 
country  they  live  in  must  be  their  own ;  they  must  be  able  to 
wander  far  upon  their  own  lands  ;  they  must  possess  a  right 
in  the  soil,  a  home,  so  that  each  one  may  say  — 

"  This  is  my  own,  my  native  land !" 
The  Indian  is  ennobled  in  the  estimation  of  the  white 
American  for  the  possession  of  those  qualities  which  the  lat- 
ter discovers  in  himself;  and  the  bear  is  honored  by  the  un- 
conscious imitation  of  his  peculiarities.  When  you  meet  him, 
if  he  is  not  pressed  with  hunger,  he  turns  aside  and  allows 
you  to  pass  on  your  way,  for  he  recognises  his  own  individual 
right  and  yours,  and  he  expects  you  to  recognise  your  own 
and  his :  but  if  you  are  so  cowardly  as  to  fire  a  ball  into  him 
from  a  distance,  he  turns  upon  you  with  the  most  tremendous 
rage  and  fury ;  and  as  this  can  be  of  no  service  to  him  unless 
he  can  come  in  contact  with  you,  it  is  proof  of  his  courage, 
and  that  his  disposition  to  mind  his  own  business  is  not  caused 
by  fear.  In  this  the  Yankee  is  his  imitator  as  well  as  in  other 
things,  and  it  was  well  expressed,  at  a  time  when  it  was  being 
illustrated,  in  the  words  — 

"Yankee  Doodle  is  a  lad, 

He's  honest,  kind,  and  civil ; 
But  if,  again,  you  make  him  mad, 
He'll  flog  you  like  the  devil !" 


216 


COMPAEATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 


The  last  person  referred  to  may  simply  mean  the  bear ;  for, 
like  the  bear,  the  Yankee  is  courageous ;  he  gives  the  enemy 


«hp 


a  cordial  welcome  ;  he  is 

kJj^^   bound  to  fold  him  in  his 

embrace ;  he  advances  in 

the  face  of  danger  ;  the 

O  7 

more  he  is  wounded,  the 
more  he  rushes  upon  the  deadly  weapons ;  the  stronghold  he 
takes  by  storm ;  he  assails  with  the  desperation  of  a  "  forlorn 
hope;"  he  struggles  in  the  very  embrace  of  death  — 

"  Foiled,  bleeding,  breathless,  furious  to  the  last," 
he  meets  death  joyously,  whichever  may  be  crushed  in  the 
embrace.     It  is  such  anger  as  only  he  who  resembles  the  bear 
is  capable  of,  that  says  — 

"  O  that  my  tongue  were  in  the  thunder's  mouth ! 
Then  with  a  passion  would  I  shake  the  world  !" 

The  war-whoop  of  the  Indian  is  something  peculiar,  and  the 
loud  shouts  of  the  white  Americans  when  they  storm  a  battery 
is  probably  from  the  same  cause. 

The  bear  has  the  highest  appreciation  of  luxuries  and  deli- 
cacies, and  is  at  the  same  time  in  desperate  hurry  to  devour 
his  food.  He  searches  the  woods  and  plains  for  vegetables 
of  a  fine  flavor,  such  as  berries  and  fruits,  and  climbs  trees 
and  exposes  himself  to  the  stings  of  a  thousand  bees  for  the 
pleasure  which  the  taste  of  honey  affords  him.  As  rough  and 
rude  as  he  is,  he  is  contented  with  nothing  short  of  nectar  and 
ambrosia ;  and  there  are  no  people  in  the  world  so  fond  of 
sweets  as  the  Americans,  both  the  red  men  and  the  whites. 


THE   BEAR.  217 

The  index  of  this  exquisite  taste  is  the  richness  and  lustre  of 
the  eye,  all  those  qualities  which  are  included  in  a  pearly 
appearance,  whatever  be  the  color  of  the  iris.  This  sign  is  per- 
fect in  the  bear,  though  on  account  of  the  sniallness  of  his  eye 
it  is  not  generally  observed  ;  and  as  to  the  eye  of  the  Indian, 
it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  there  is  none  so  beautiful  as  his. 
As  of  everything  beautiful,  the  more  you  look  at  it  the  more 
you  admire  it.  The  power  of  fascination  is  chiefly  in  the  eye, 
and  when  beauty  exerts  this  influence  it  commands  a  tribute 
that  is  not  always  deserved. 

The  charmers  called  "  psychologists,"  "  mesmerizers,"  and 
other  names  of  the  same  import,  have  the  quality  of  eye  re- 
ferred to,  and  a  strong  resemblance  to  the  Indian.  The  por- 
trait at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter  is  very  like  that  of  the 
chief  of  psychologists,  whose  face  appears  at  the  commence- 
ment of  his  works  on  that  subject.  Such  eyes  contribute 
very  much  to  the  magic  power  that  is  ascribed  to  eloquence 
—  that  of  "persuading  people  to  believe  in  the  existence  of 
something  that  never  was  and  never  will  be."  The  Yankee 
has  such  persuasion  in  his  eyes  when  his  object  is  to  "  bar- 
gain, lease,  and  convey."  The  eyes  called  "  eloquent"  are 
truly  dangerous,  because,  like  eloquence,  they  monopolize 
belief,  and  prevent  the  intrusion  of  a  doubt. 

But  it  is  not  the  intention  of  Nature  to  deceive.  A  pearly 
richness  and  lustre  of  the  eye  indicate  exquisite  taste  in  ref- 
erence to  food ;  and  in  proportion  as  the  mind  is  elevated  it 
indicates  refinement  of  taste. in  dress,  buildings,  furniture, 
manners,  literature,  eloquence,  and  in  everything  of  which 
taste  may  be  predicated.  It  indicates  refinement,  but  it  may 
be  "refined  cruelty,"  "refined  roguery,"  and  "refined  deceit," 
as  well  as  "  refined  sensibility,"  "  refined  manners,"  and  "  re- 
fined intellect."  As  in  reference  to  food,  taste  is  related  to 
what  is  good,  or  fit  to  be  eaten ;  and  so  in  individuals  and  in 
art  it  is  related  to  excellence,  to  virtue,  purity,  and  goodness, 
or  to  whatever  is  deserving  of  love ;  but  there  is  sweetness 
in  poison,  and  the  like  quality  is  not  unfrequently  discovered 
in  men  and  women  of  base  passions,  of  whom  it  is  said,  "  The 
poison  of  asps  is  under  their  lips." 


218  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

If  there  is  anything  in  the  eye  of  the  American  to  distin- 
guish it  from  others,  it  is  the  quality  we  are  speaking  of.  Let 
the  eyes  of  the  Xew-Englanders  speak  for  themselves.  The 
Boston  ladies  deserve  to  be  celebrated  for  the  beauty  of  their 
eyes,  which  are  like  those  of  the  Indian.  As  their  ancestors 
were  the  earliest  inhabitants  of  the  country,  their  eyes  are 
more  beautiful  than  those  of  Americans  in  general.  They 
are  equally  remarkable  for  the  richness  and  delicacy  of  ev- 
erything in  which  they  have  an  opportunity  to  display  their 
taste.  Their  clothing  is  silk,  and  vies  in  lustre  with  the  eye. 
The  Americans  are  not  slow  to  acknowledge  the  exquisite  taste 
of  the  Indian  costume,  and  of  everything  ornamental  which 
the  rude  art  of  the  Indian  is  capable  of  producing.  In  steam- 
boats, and  whatever  else  is  new,  the  Americans  show  more 
taste  than  the  Europeans. 


THE   GOOSE. 


219 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 


If  our  idea  be  correct,  the  "  Russian  bear"  will  turn  out  to 
be  a  goose.  "We  make  no  reflection  on  the  mental  capacity 
of  that  distinguished  personage,  but  shall  not  cry  his  favor  so 
much  as  if  we  had  not  discovered  the  resemblance  just  al- 
luded to.     Here  is  a  person,  the  emperor  Paul,  who  has  been 

introduced  to  the  reader  twice  be- 
fore, and  each  time  as  one  of  the 


"  greatest  geese"  that  was  ever  hatched  from  a  golden  egg. 
It  appears  that  his  mother,  Catharine  II.,  was  ashamed  of 
him,  and  wished  to  pass  him  over  "  in  favor  of  his  son  Alex- 
ander, whom,  in  her  will,  she  appointed  to  succeed  to  the 
throne."  The  latter  individual  (see  next  page)  seems  to  us  to 
have  no  small  resemblance  to  a  duck  (a  bird  that  in  its  essen- 
tial points  differs  very  little  from  the  goose) ;  and  that  he  was 
looked  upon  by  his  grandmother  as  a  duck,  while  his  father 
was  regarded  as  a  "  goosey,"  is  quite  an  argument  in  favor  of 
our  science. 

But  all  geese  are  not  deficient  in  intellect.  A  gander  saved 
an  ancient  city  from  storm,  for  geese  were  great  at  prognosti- 
cating storms,  and  they  are  the  same  now  that  they  were 


220 


COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 


then.  The  Russians  are  equally  "  up  to  snuff,"  and  it  was 
very  gooselike  to  set  Moscow  on  fire  to  save  it  from  the  French 
—  gooselike  in  two  senses,  for  it  required  a  foolish  noddle  to 

suggest  the  idea,  and  it 
turned  out  to  be  a  capi- 
tal expedient.     Many  a 
bright  idea  has  its  origin 
in  a  goose's  brain  —  for 
truth  is  simple,   and   is 
better  suited  to  the  sim- 
ple-minded than  to  the 
sophistical.     As  there  is 
"  but  one  step  from  the 
sublime   to   the    ridicu- 
lous," so  there  is  but  one 
step  from  reason  to  com- 
mon sense,  and  it  is  ex- 
pressed in  the  word  expediency.    The  Russians  are  full  of 
expedients,  for,  like  the  goose,  they  have  large  subterfuge. 
The  hair  growing  down  in 
a  point  in  the  centre  of  the 
forehead  indicates  the  fiery 
action  of  subterfuge,  as  the 
pitching  downward  of  the 
forehead  itself  over  the  top 
of  the  nose  and  the  inner 
angle  of  the  eye  indicates 
the  watery  action  of  the 
same  faculty.     The  one  is 
the  choleric  and  the  other 
the   phlegmatic    mode   in 
which  this  faculty  exhibits 
itself.   Though  the  burning 
of  Moscow  was  disastrous  to  the  French,  it  showed  the  char- 
acter of  the  Russians,  and  illustrated  the  principle  that  "  it  is 
a  foul  bird  that  litters  its  own  nest"     This  is  true  of  the  goose, 
and  it  is  the  result  of  expediency.    This  same  faculty  leads 
to  backbiting,  to  the  undermining  of  character,  to  tattling  and 


x 


THE    GOOSE. 


221 


slander,  to  burning  out  men's  eyes,  and  to  whatever  else  Sub- 
terfuge might  be  supposed  to  engage  in.  The  goose  salutes 
you  with  the  only  means  that  is  left  her  to  vent  the  slander 


of  her  serpent-tongue,  a  hiss,  and  she  runs  at  you  from  be- 
hind with  a  serpentine  movement ;  and  the  least  objectiona- 
ble of  all  the  manifestations  of  this  faculty  is  her  fondness  for 
gabbling.  This  was  the  charac- 
ter of  the  female  progenitor  of 
the  three  princes  whose  portraits 
are  given  on  this  and  the  prece- 
ding pages,  the  last  of  whom  is 
the  grand-duke  Constantine,  a 
younger  son  of  Paul,  whose  ty- 
rannical government  of  Poland 
is  well  known.  Though  we  have 
treated  them  as  subjects  for  char- 
coal sketches,  they  should,  to 
have  justice  done  them,  be  treat- 
ed in  a  more  elaborate  way.  But 
as  there  is  a  law  of  antagonism 
between  fire  and  water,  so  also 

there  are  two  actions  of  subterfuge,  the  one  intended  to  extin- 
guish the  other.  When  one  is  in  excess,  the  other  is  neces- 
sary to  counteract  it ;  for  as  of  those  two  elements  so  of  these, 
"  they  are  good  servants  but  hard  masters." 

The  goose  is  a  sort  of  feathered  swine,  as  much  like  the 
Russian  as  the  hog  is  like  the  Chinese,  who  are  therefore  sim- 


222 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


ilar.     She  forbids  you  to  trespass  upon  her  territories ;  en- 
croaching on  others,  she  discovers  that  encroachments  are 
being  made  on  her  rightful  dominions,  and  is  slow  to  back 
out  from  those  which  she  herself  has  made.     When  she  has 
once  taken  possession  of  a  field  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
drive  her  from  it,  and  the  more  you  try  the  harder  it  is,  for 
she  has  a  propensity  to  go  against  obstacles,  as  is  illustrated 
in  her  flying  against  the  wind.     Of  course,  then,  she  has  a 
wide  range,  which  implies  a  wide  territory,  but  she  is  also 
attached  to  home.     She  is  not  to  be  disfranchized,  and  she 
snugs  herself  up  by  the  side  of  other  geese  so  closely,  that  there 
is  no  danger  of  their  not  keeping  together,  or  at  least  within 
hailing  distance ;  and  each  one  interdicts  the  other  from  vio- 
lating any  of  the  rules  of  mu- 
tual help  and  protection.    He 
(or  rather  she,  for  there  is  not 
much  manhood  in  the  char- 
acter of  the  goose)  is  always 
troubling  herself  about  the  af- 
fairs of  her  neighbors,  and 
therefore   the    flock  is   kept 
within  bounds  and  they  keep 
each  other  in  order,  of  which 
we  have  the  most  perfect  il- 
lustration in  the  flight  of  wild 
geese,  for  each  one  has  to  be 
at  his  post  to  attend  to  his 
neighbor,  and  in  giving  or- 
ders they  all  pipe  at  a  time. 
They  are   fond   of   ordering 
each  other  to  hush  and  mind 
their  own  business,  but  this 
is  done  wTith  an  eye  to  the 
general  good  ;  or,  rather,  this 
is  the  result  of  each  one's  at- 
tending to  his  own  personal 
safety  by  shielding  himself  under  the  wing  of  the  rest,  and  or- 
dering them  to  take  care  of  themselves,  to  mind  their  eyes,  and 


THE    GOOSE. 


223 


to  follow  his  example.  Of  course,  then,  the  goose  is  no  fool : 
the  only  fool  in  the  flock  is  the  one  that,  like  the  emperor 
Paul,niinds  other  peo- 
ple's business  without 
knowing  sufficient  to 
take  care  of  himself, 
and  who  accordingly 
goes  ahead,  takes  the 
responsibility,  and  is 
thrust  forward  by  the 
wiser  ones  who  know 
the  danger,  and  who 
treat  him  as  the  odd 
one,  and  exclude  him 
from  the  honor  of  be- 
ing included  in  the 
general  estimate   of 

geese.    The  goose  proper,  in  all  the  traits  enumerated  above, 
is  the  precise  counterpart  of  the  Russians. 

To  descend  from  the  body  politic  to  the  body  corporate, 
the  goose  is  very  warm-blooded  ;  he  is  fond  of  ice  and  snow, 
and  of  a  vigorous  climate,  which  remind  him  of  his  feathers, 
and  make  him  gather  his  clothing  more  snugly  and  warmly 
around  him.  The  Russian  is  fond  of  his  ice-hills,  which  he 
manufactures  especially  for  his  convenience  and  for  the  pleas- 
ure of  curling  his  legs  under  him  and  lying  low ;  and  he  is 
fond  of  plunging  into  snow,  as  into  a  bed  of  down,  and  of 
muffling  himself  in  furs,  and  of  travelling  in  a  cottage.  This 
is  his  method  of  sojourning.  The  goose  is  so  well  provided 
with  comfortable  clothing,  that  by  others  she  is  supposed  to 
have  "  enough  and  to  spare"  —  and  when  she  is  "  tamed,"  as 
it  is  called,  or  brought  under  the  influence  of  their  wills,  she 
thinks  as  they  do.  Plucked  of  his  feathers,  the  gander  loses 
his  noble  instincts ;  he  feels  oddly  ;  he  is  not  even  a  weather- 
guide  ;  he  wanders  about,  with  "  his  nose  turned  up  to  the 
wind,"  but  he  is  not  able  to  prognosticate  a  storm,  he  is  lost, 
he  acts  as  oddly  as  he  feels,  and  has  the  appearance  of  a 
"  perfect  goosey."    The  Russian  who  resembles  this  specimen 


224:  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

of  a  goose  goes  thinly  clad,  is  destitute  of  foresight  and  saga- 
city, and,  with  the  power  in  his  hands,  would  insist  on  every 
other  person  wearing  thin  clothes  and  being  as  great  a  fool  as 
himself.  This,  again,  was  the  emperor  Paul,  whom,  the  reader 
perceives,  we  are  strongly  tempted  to  "  pick  at"  and  to  reduce 
to  the  condition  of  "  a  bird  without  feathers."  This  would  be 
"  making  a  man  of  him,"  according  to  Plato's  definition  ;  but 
as  we  are  not  Platonists,  we  will  turn  him  over  to  the  disciples 
of  the  philosopher  to  finish. 

The  fox  lives  on  the  sagacity  and  foresight  of  the  goose, 
and  therefore  he  has  an  abundance  of  both ;  but  there  are 
foolish  geese  that  have  lost  their  feathers,  and  are  strayed 
away,  and  have  not  the  spirit  even  to  hiss  or  spit  fire  at  their 
oppressors ;  and  it  was  probably  some  cowardly  fox  in  the 
habit  of  making  mutton  of  such  geese  as  these  that  lost  his 
tail  in  a  trap,  and  then  proposed  to  his  neighbors  to  adopt  the 
same  fashion.  We  have  no  doubt  but  that  the  nose  of  that 
animal  was  a  snub  and  "  turned  up  to  the  wind,"  and  that  he 
had  a  look  similar  to  that  of  the  goose,  as  the  wolf  has  a  like- 
ness to  the  sheep,  and  that  therefore  he  was  perfectly  sincere 
in  the  proposition ;  and  that  for  that  matter  he  might  be  re- 
garded as  a  cockatrice  hatched  from  the  egg  of  a  goose.  Such 
is  the  character  of  a  certain  one  among  the  Eussians  who  will 
figure  "  positively  for  the  last  time"  —  we  can  not  say  when. 


THE   SWAN. 


225 


CHAPTER   XXYIII. 

Here  is  a  person  who,  if  he  be  not  very  much  mistaken, 
has  the  air  of  a  swan.  In  him  it  looks  like  an  affectation  of 
grace  and  dignity,  bnt 
in  the  swan  we  admire 
it  exceedingly.  With- 
out it  the  bird  is  both 
ugly  and  uncouth.  It 
must  consequently  be 
something  admirable, 
and  for  this  reason  it 
is  the  object  of  hypo- 
critical imitation.  It 
is  the  character  of  a 
devotee  that  gives  this 
expression  of  counte- 
nance, accompanied 
with  this  position  of 
the  head.  A  devotee 
may  be  a  votary  to 
himself  or  a  votary  to 
some  religion.  "  What 
a  perfect  air  of  self- 
complacency  !" — you 
are  ready  to  exclaim, 
on  looking  at  a  person 
with  an  expression  of 
countenance  like  the  above.  It  is  even  more  than  that :  it 
is  an  adoration  of  something  of  which  himself  is  both  the 
centre  and  the  circumference.  He  is,  in  his  own  estimation, 
a  saint,  and  he  expects,  when  he  has  given  sufficient  proof 

15 


226  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

of  Lis  sanctity  by  mortifications  of  the  flesh,  to  be  canonized 
by  the  vulgar.  He  is  the  victim  of  blind  superstition,  and  of 
violence  inflicted  by  his  own  hands.  Silliness  is  the  charac- 
teristic of  the  man  who  goes  to  an  extreme  in  his  resemblance 
to  the  goose,  but  insanity  characterizes  the  man  who  bears  a 
like  resemblance  to  the  swan.  By  this  we  mean  a  literal  re- 
semblance, and  not  that  of  which  the  goose  and  the  swan  are 
the  representatives.  In  those  who  are  inclined  to  insanity 
more  than  to  idiocy,  there  is  an  affectation  of  grace  and  dig- 
nity, and  a  hypocritical  sanctity,  which  says,  "  I  am  holier 
than  thou"  —  accompanied  with  a  condescending  modesty, 
that  seems  to  say :  "  You  could  not  expect  me  to  let  down 
my  dignity,  but  I  will  nevertheless  condescend  to  speak  to 
you ;  but  I  am  a  person  of  high  rank  and  noble  blood,  and  it 
becomes  you  to  take  care  how  you  make  too  familiar  with 
me ;  and  presently  I  shall  expect  you  to  kneel  down  and  do 
me  reverence,  for  higher  beings  than  you  pay  their  obeisance 
to  me.  Should  you  displease  me,  you  might  feel  my  ven- 
geance !"  They  suspect  themselves  to  be  endowed  with  cer- 
tain Divine  attributes  that  others  are  not  aware  of,  and  that 
it  is  necessary  they  should  present  these  glaringly  before  the 
world,  that  they  may  no  longer  have  an  excuse  for  their  igno- 
rance and  neglect. 

"But  what  has  all  this  to  do  with  the  swan?"  Why,  to 
tell  the  truth,  the  swan  is,  in  his  own  estimation,  a  grandee 
of  the  highest  order.  You  see  it  in  that  dignified  bearing, 
by  the  side  of  which  the  pomp  and  pride  of  the  peacock  sink 
into  insignificance.  He  is  the  very  personification  of  compla- 
cency ;  he  is  perfectly  at  his  ease ;  all  things  are  as  he  would 
have  them.  He  looks  into  his  pure,  white  breast,  reflected  in 
the  placid  bosom  of  the  water,  and  finding  there  nothing  to 
displease  him,  he  is  "  settled  upon  his  lees,"  and  floats  in 
downy  voluptuousness  like  a  spirit  in  a  snow-white  cloud,  not 
doubting  but  that  he  is  as  much  an  object  of  devotion  to  oth- 
ers as  he  is  to  himself.  He  carries  his  head  in  such  a  posi- 
tion that  he  may  not  lose  sight  of  "  his  humble  self."  He  is 
constantly  the  servant  of  himself  so  long  as  he  lives,  and  with 
such  assiduous  care  and  attention  he  lives  long.    The  vestal 


THE   SWAN.  227 

flame  is  kept  constantly  burning,  and  the  stars  their  vigils 
keep  in  devotion  to  the  swan,  who,  floating  all  night  upon  the 
water,  fancies  he  is  floating  among  them.  He  places  his 
hand  upon  his  heart  (figuratively  speaking  all  the  while),  and 
asks  the  world  to  witness 
its  purity,  the  sincerity  of 
his  intentions,  and  the  heav- 
en within  his  own  bosom. 
And  indeed  he  is  the  sym- 
bol of  heavenly  felicity  in 
the  human  breast,  and  of 
that  purity  and  devotion 
that  are  made  for  each  oth- 
er, and  that  constitute  heav- 
en, wherever  they  may  be. 

But  he  is  the  symbol  also  of  the  very  opposite,  for  the  qual- 
ities which  he  represents  are  commonly  perverted.  From  his 
stainless  breast,  and  from  that  realm  of  purity  which  his  form 
describes,  extends  something  like  a  serpent  with  a  serpent's 
head,  and  this,  unless  it  be  turned  to  look  at  the  shadow  re- 
flected in  the  wave,  and  to  explore  the  depths  of  that  celes- 
tial love  which  makes  its  home  with  the  innocent  and  pure, 
is  the  serpent  full  of  cunning  and  malignity,  of  sensuality 
and  pride.  Then  it  is,  as  when  we  see  him  on  land,  that  the 
swan  loses  all  his  grace  and  dignity,  and  is  no  longer  beauti- 
ful, but  snakelike  and  repulsive.  Thus  it  is  with  the  man  who 
was  formed  to  be  a  votary,  and  forsakes  truth  ;  who  abandons 
the  purity  that  is  the  object  of  devotion,  and  that  is  also  the 
native  element  of  the  devotee.  And  he  who  can  turn  his 
eyes  away  from  the  innocence  of  his  childhood  and  the  prin- 
ciples that  were  planted  in  him  by  the  Creator,  and  then  look 
upon  the  malignant  passions  that  have  taken  their  places,  and 
can  call  these  good,  is  one  who  has  deceived  others  until  he 
has  deceived  himself,  and  is  in  a  fair  way  to  become  insane. 

One  of  the  symptoms  of  this  malady  of*the  mind,  from  its 
incipient  stages  to  the  degree  of  confirmation,  is  "using  vain 
repetitions  as  the  heathen  do."  The  devotee  who  is  a  self- 
worshipper  acquires  for  himself  the  name  of  sanctity,  not  only 


228  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

by  his  sanctimonious  bearing  in  the  performance  of  various 
rites  and  ceremonies,  but  by  "  taking  the  name  of  God  in 
vain  ;"  and  when  his  delusion  has  gone  so  far  as  to  cause  him 
to  forget  himself,  there  flow  from  his  mouth  volleys  of  oaths. 
An  individual  like  the  one  figured  at  the  commencement  of 
this  chapter  has  an  air  that  may  pass  for  reverence  during 
the  devotions  of  a  congregation,  as  when  the  people  rise  for 
prayer,  or  that  shall  indicate  his  ability  to  swear  like  a  pirate. 
The  transition  from  a  devotee  to  a  "  high  buck"  is  an  easy 
one.     But  in  whatever  stage  of  transformation  he  may  be, 
"  vain  repetitions"  will  characterize  him.     You  shall  see  this 
sanctimonious  air  tinged  wTith  a  smirk  in  the  person  whose 
calling  is  the  repetition  of  a  cry  several  times  a  minute  during 
the  day  from  one  year  to  another.     He  is  the  very  person  to 
act  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  display  of  sudden  and  miracu- 
lous piety.     You  can  hardly  repress  the  spontaneous  ebulli- 
tion of  "  Old  hypocrite!"  the  moment  you  set  eyes  on  him. 
But  words  are  human,  and  what  you  condemn  in  him  is  the 
vain  repetition  of  them,  by  which  they  are  converted  into 
"  by-words,"  and  you  would  not  be  profane  because  he  is. 
The  mendicant  devotees  of  India  make  a  sacrilegious  use  of 
language  all  their  lives,  for  a  "  by-word"  is  that  which  is  often 
repeated.     Mockery,  too,  is  characteristic  of  profanity.     In 
persons  whose  business  is  the  repetition  of  the  same  words 
from  morning  till  night,  as  in  beggars  and  those  whose  mode 
of  selling  partakes  of  the  character  of  begging,  you  see  mock- 
ery written  in  every  part  of  the  countenance.     Repetition  is 
a  mockery  of  reason  and  humanity,  for  reason  needs  only 
to  hear  once  in  order  to  understand,  and  humanity  needs  only 
to  hear  the  cry  of  pain  in  order  to  relieve  it,  and  to  fill  the 
needy  with  bread.     The  repetition  that  is  vain  and  hypocriti- 
cal deafens  the  ears  to  the  voice  of  real  necessity,  and  to  the 
voice  of  humanity,  which  commands  respect  like  the  voice  of 
God.     "Words  are  precious  pearls  that  are  not  to  be  cast  be- 
fore swine ;  but  tbey  who  cast  them  out  as  dust  of  the  street, 
and,  most  of  all,  those  who  make  sacred  words  thus  common, 
mock  those  whom  they  deceive,  and  they  mock  at  the  weak- 
ness and  the  sufferings  of  poor  humanity.     Mockery,  and  a 


THE   SWAN. 


caricature  of  benevolence  and  honesty,  are  legible  in  the  faces 
of  those  who  accost  the  passers-by  with  an  invitation  to  pur- 
chase ;  and  even  the  newsboys,  young  as  they  are,  have 
enough  of  this  expression  of  countenance  to  distinguish  them. 
The  extreme  of  this  degradation  and  abuse  of  words  is  bab- 
bling insanity. 

All  this  is  the  result  of  a  perversion  of  those  qualities  which 
constitute  a  resemblance  to  the  swan.  It  is  therefore  the  very 
opposite  of  what  we  discover  in  true  devotion.  The  swan  is 
grace  and  dignity  "  to  the  very  life."  As  there  is  no  parade 
in  that  graceful  carriage  (for  we  must  look  to  the  turkey  and 
the  peacock  for  parade),  so 
there  is  no  organ  of  preten- 
sion— no  medium  of  profes- 
sions—  or,  in  other  words,  no 
voice.  His  course  through 
life  is  quiet  and  noiseless, 
save  the  slight  sound  of  the 
ripples  that  break  upon  his 
breast.  The  devotee  who  is 
truly  devout  makes  no  profes- 
sions :  his  life  is  pure,  and  it 
speaks  for  itself;  it  shows  also 
the  quality  of  truth,  as  the 
whiteness  of  the  swan  shows 
the  purity  of  the  element  that 
bathes  him.  He  teaches  by 
example ;  he  observes  the 
precept,  "  Use  not  vain  repe- 
titions as  the  heathen  do,"  but 
whispers,  "  Our  Father  who 
art  in  heaven." 

It  may  have  occurred  to 
the  reader  that  in  India,where 
the  characteristics  we  have 
described  as  belonging  to  the 

devotee  are  carried  to  an  extreme,  is  to  be  found  the  greatest 
national  resemblance  to  the  swan.     This  is  a  fact  that  may  be 


230  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

easily  confirmed  by  observation.  But  the  Indians  resemble 
serpents  as  well  as  swans,  and  for  the  reason  already  stated. 
They  exhibit  the  swan  in  his  more  disagreeable  aspect.  In- 
fernal rites  and  ceremonies,  hypocrisy,  incoherency,  violence 


inflicted  on  themselves  or  others,  are  the  characteristics  of 
them  all. 

That  sacred  stillness  which  betokens  reverence  for  truth,  a 
disposition  to  listen  to  it,  to  obey  it,  and  thereby  to  teach  it 
in  the  most  effective  manner,  or  to  exhibit  it  "  to  the  very 
life,"  is  perverted  in  the  enjoining  of  stillness  in  the  presence 
of  those  who  consider  themselves  privileged  to  make  a  noise, 
and  of  reverence  toward  those  who  arrogate  to  themselves 
peculiar  sanctity.  Yon  shall  see  the  vestal  virgin,  whose  soul 
is  the  heaven  of  tranquillity,  and  whose  life  is  one  of  unob- 
trusive benevolence ;  and  by  her  side  the  self-worshipping 
devotee,  who  is  full  of  professions  and  hypocritical  cant,  and 
whose  life  is  devoted  to  offering  up  sacrifices  on  the  shrine  of 
his  selfishness.  Tie  wins  bribes  from  the  rich,  but  the  poor 
who  have  nothing  to  give  must  appease  his  vengeance  with 
their  blood. 

"What  smooth  emollients  in  theology 
Recumbent  Virtue's  downy  doctors  teach !" 


THE   SWAN.  231 

but  these  are  for  the  rich  only,  who  are  willing  to  pay  for 
flattery  with  the  blood  of  the  poor.  Devoted  humanity  is 
silent  under  wrong,  silent  even  to  the  false  devotion  that  con- 
demns it  "  as  a  sheep  dumb  before  her  shearers"  —  not  be- 
cause it  has  no  redress,  but  because  it  is  willing  to  be  sacri- 
ficed in  testimony  for  the  truth,  which  is  the  greater  good. 
But  like  the  dying  swan,  that  is  fabled  to  breathe  forth  its 
life  in  enchanting  melody,  is  the  martyr  in  the  hour  of  death. 
"When  he  can  no  longer  teach  by  example,  he  can  teach  as 
one  inspired  ;  and  the  swan,  if  the  ancient  fable  be  founded 
in  nature,  is  his  appropriate  symbol  even  to  the  last.  The 
phoenix,  that  was  consumed  in  flames  and  rose  again  from  its 
ashes,  was  this  very  bird,  or  one,  according  to  the  represen- 
tations, exceedingly  like  it. 


232 


COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 


"  What  !  a  man  look  like  a  frog  ?"     It  is  even  so  :  you  see 
the  resemblance,  or  you  would  not  ask  the  question.     In  the 

one  figure  the  Frenchman 
is  recognised,  and  in  the 
other  the  frog.  You  say, 
perhaps,  that  "  the  first  is 
an  exaggeration,  and  that 
therefore  it  can  not  be  ta- 
ken as  a  proof  of  any  spe- 
cial resemblance."  Your 
premises  we  admit,  but  the 


inference  we  draw  is  the  very  reverse  of  yours.  If  the  exag- 
geration were  not  one  of  the  characteristics  of  the  Frenchman, 
you  would  not  recognise  the  likeness.  Yes,  monsieur,  you 
display  astonishment  at  our  boldness ;  but  if  you  were  not 
considerably  like  the  frog,  the  exaggeration  of  your  peculiari- 
ties would  destroy  the  resemblance  altogether. 


THE   FROG.  233 

"We  see,  then,  a  reason  for  the  Frenchman's  penchant  for 
frogs  :  it  is  like  that  of  the  Arab  for  the  camel,  the  English- 
man for  the  ox,  the  Chinese  for  the  hog,  and  the  Indian  for 
the  bear;  and,  as  it  is  a  poor  rule  that  will  not  work  both 
ways,  his  fondness  for  the  frog  as  an  article  of  diet  is  a  rea- 
son for  the  resemblance.  The  organs  which  were  the  result 
of  the  life  of  the  animal,  and  through  which  the  life  manifest- 
ed itself,  enter  the  stomach  of  the  Frenchman,  and  thence 
into  the  circulation,  to  nourish  and  build  up  the  body ;  and 
hence  it  is  evident  that  the  reptile  we  are  speaking  of  becomes 
part  and  parcel  of  the  Frenchman  himself.  This  is  as  it 
should  be,  if,  as  we  imagine,  the  race  of  Titans  who  were 
changed  by  Latona  into  frogs,  are  the  race  now  called  French- 
men !  It  was  in  revenge  for  their  refusing  water  to  her  and 
her  children ;  and  so  they  are  metamorphosed  into  the  like- 
ness of  an  animal  that  lives  in  water,  and  has  a  plenty  of  it. 

The  French  should  be  judged  by  their  own  philosophy : 
they  say  that  the  mind  is  a  function  of  the  body,  or  a  secre- 
tion, or  in  some  way  a  production  of  the  brain  and  other  ma- 
terial organs.  Therefore,  if  they  build  up  their  bodies  with 
those  of  frogs,  they  must  strengthen  and  nourish  their  souls 
from  the  same  elements !  "We  believe  that  there  is  a  corre- 
spondence between  the  soul  and  body  throughout,  and  that 
the  former  responds  instantly  to  whatever  enters  into  the  com- 
position of  the  latter.  The  influence  which  the  qualities  of 
the  frog,  so  highly  esteemed  by  the  Frenchman,  must  have 
upon  the  disposition  and  manners  of  the  consumer,  and  even 
upon  the  higher  faculties  of  his  mind,  is  easily  inferred,  and 
is  confirmed  by  even  a  hasty  glance  at  his  physiognomy. 
"Which  is  the  more  sociable  and  noisy ;  which  the  more  con- 
stantly engaged  in  tete-a-tete  ;  which  is  the  most  lithe  in  all 
his  members,  and  fond  of  versatility,  and  of  hopping  about, 
the  Frenchman  or  the  frog,  we  leave  to  natural  history  to 
decide. 

There  is  as  great  a  variety  of  Frenchmen  as  of  frogs,  and 
love  of  variety  is  the  characteristic  of  them  both.  The  won- 
derful disposition  of  the  frog  to  change  his  shape,  and  his 
astonishing  capacity  to  do  so,  are  scarcely  to  be  distinguished 


23-i 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


from  the  same  disposition  and  ability  in  the  Frenchman. 
This  is  effected  by  various  inflations  and  puffings  out  in  this 
direction  and  in  that,  especially  in  the  region  of  the  neck  and 
shoulders.  Fashion  changes  man  into  as  many  shapes  as 
those  of  Proteus  —  without,  however  (at  least  in  the  case  of 
the  Frenchman),  destroying  the  proper  and  legitimate  indica- 
tions of  the  character,  and  the  resemblance  to  the  fro°\  The 
Frenchman  displayed  here  is  an  unmanly  character ;  he  re- 
sembles a  female  ;  and  it 
must  be  confessed  that  the 
French  follies  we  are  now 
speaking  of  are  exhibited 
more  in  women  than  in 
men.  The  French  are  like 
women  in  their  looks,  their 
actions,  their  judgment, 
their  unwillingness  to  be 
governed,  and  their  ina- 
bility to  govern  themselves 
—  their  love  of  change, 
their  love  of  order,  and  of 
turning  things  topsy-turvy 
—  their  disposition  to  go  to  extremes,  their  ability  to  become 
more  cruel  and  more  infernally  wicked  in  every  respect  in 
the  degree  that  they  are  capable  of  being  better,  than  those 
who  are  bona  fide  and  unequivocally  men. 

There  is  the  fable  of  the  frog  that  endeavored  to  swell  him- 
self to  the  dimensions  of  an  ox  that  stood  cooling  himself  in 
the  water.  The  ox,  for  aught  we  know,  may  have  been  a 
huge  island,  and  the  frog  may  have  considered  that  the 
water  was  all  his  own,  and  that  the  ox  had  no  business  there. 
There  is  certainly  a  great  degree  of  similarity  and  contradic- 
tion between  John  Bull  and  his  fashionable  neighbor  the  Bull- 
Frog  ! 

"  M.  Thiers  asserts  that  there  can  be  no  dispute  as  to  the 
high  position  France  holds,  especially  in  her  silk  manufac- 
tures (at  the  'World's  Fair,'  in  London).  He  was  struck 
with  the  fact  that  France  is  pre-eminent  in  all  the  articles  of 


THE   FEOG.  235 

luxury,  which  none  but  the  wealthiest  can  buy ;  whereas,  Eng- 
land excels  in  the  productions  usually  consumed  by  the  mid- 
dle and  poorer  classes.  Thus  democratic  France  works  for 
the  rich,  and  aristocratic  England  works  for  the  poor." 

TTe  see,  therefore,  that  in  the  case  of  the  frog  and  the  ox 
there  was  no  occasion  for  any  jealousy  on  the  part  of  the  for- 
mer, nor  for  any  contempt  on  the  part  of  the  latter,  but  that 
tbey  were  well  suited  to  each  other,  and  that  it  was  fortunate 
they  were  near  neighbors.  The  ambition  of  the  frog  to  swell 
to  the  dimensions  of  the  ox  was  no  vain  ambition,  for  the 
works  of  art  that  contribute  to  the  gratification  of  taste  and  to 
spiritual  elevation  are  equal  to  those  more  substantial  produc- 
tions that  contribute  to  the  necessities  of  the  body.  It  is 
beautiful  that  aristocracy  and  democracy  should  be  friends ; 
that  they  should  help  each  other ;  that  the  frog  should  not 
swell  himself  so  much  for  his  own  gratification  as  for  that  of 
the  ox ;  and  that  the  ox  should  not  draw  so  much  for  his  own 
benefit  as  for  that  of  the  frog. 

As  the  Frenchman  is  lacking  in  manliness,  it  is  right  and 
proper  that  the  French-woman  should  possess  it,  and  that  the 
feminine  quality  that  she  is  deprived  of  to  make  room  for  the 
manliness,  should  belong  to  him.  It  is  as  easily  seen  that  the 
Frenchwomen  are  uncommonly  masculine  as  that  the  men 
are  feminine.  There  is  more  true  heroism  in  the  characters 
of  Joan  of  Arc  and  Charlotte  Cord  ay  than  in  all  the  men  of 
France  that  have  ever  lived.  Madame  Eoland  would  have 
governed  France  more  wisely  and  more  nobly  than  that  coun- 
try was  ever  governed :  but  it  so  happens  that  in  countries 
where  women  have  none  of  the  qualities  of  statesmen  they 
are  made  queens,  and  where  they  are  possessed  of  these  quali- 
ties they  are  made  to  stand  aside  and  give  place  to  tyrants. 
The  Frenchwoman  presented  on  the  following  page  should 
be  contrasted  with  the  Frenchman  preceding :  in  dress  and 
everything  she  is  less  feminine  than  he ;  she  has  very  much 
the  appearance  of  the  cow,  because  of  the  relation  between 
the  English  and  the  French,  and  yet  she  is  thoroughly  French, 
and  has  a  strong  resemblance  to  the  frog. 
The  outer  integument  of  the  Frenchman  has  a  wonderful 


236 


COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 


tendency  to  be  puffed  out :  pads,  bustles,  balloons,  and  airy 
nothings,  show  the  nature  of  the  aspirations  by  which  he 

expects  to  make  his  greatness 
equal  to  his  desires.  What  it 
is  that  his  soul  lives  on,  aside 
from  the  breath  of  popular  ap- 
plause, it  would  be  difficult  to 
tell :  it  is  as  great  a  mystery 
as  the  life  of  a  frog,  that  seems 
to  live  on  air.  Ambition  is  the 
ruling  passion  of  the  French- 
man ;  he  spreads  his  sails,  and 
fills  them  with  his  own  breath, 
for  he  can  rarify  small  praise 
into  an  immense  volume,  and 
it  is  his  business  to  rarify  and 
refine.  Like  the  frogs  in  a  pond,  each  one  endeavors  to  be 
heard  above  the  rest,  though  the  bull-frog  orator  is  loudest  of 
them  all.  Yet  it  is  remarkable  that  when  one  strikes  a  note 
the  others  join  him,  to  the  end  that  they  may  be  heard  to  sing 
in  concert  by  the  outside  listeners. 

But  as  everything  which  is  not  loved  for  its  own  sake  soon 
begets  weariness  and  disgust,  change  is  earnestly  demanded  : 
revolution  must  come,  though  it  overthrow  what  is  worthy  of 
being  loved  and  cherished  ;  and  ere  long  the  new  fashion  will 
become  old,  and  the  old  will  become  new  again ;  and  thus 
one  change  will  follow  another  interminably,  as  whim  or  ca- 
price may  dictate,  showing  that  stability  is  not  the  thing 
desired  or  sought  after.  The  Frenchman  says,  as  an  excuse 
for  plunging  into  a  revolution,  that  he  wishes  disturbances  to 
be  over,  that  he  may  "  attend  to  his  business ;"  and  there  is 
truth  in  this,  for  he  wishes  one  commotion  to  pass,  that  he 
may  enjoy  another :  his  very  life  is  commotion. 

But  frogs  are  a  happy  people,  and  so  are  the  French  when 
the  men  they  choose  for  rulers  resemble  frogs,  and  not  alliga- 
tors. Marat  and  Robespierre  resembled  vultures  ;  but  others, 
more  common  and  less  cruel  and  cowardly  than  they,  resem- 
ble lizards,  animals  that  rule  by  the  power  of  the  tail,  as  was 


THE   FROG-. 


described  in  the  chapter  concerning  the  rhinoceros.    In  the 
face  of  Louis  XYI.,  here  represented  on  the  right,  there  is  a 
very  strong  resemblance  to 
the  frog,  and  everything  that 
is  moral  and  much  that  is 


noble  to  confide  in,  with  nothing  to  distrust ;  but  in  the  like- 
ness to  the  left,  that  carries  an  impression  of  a  relationship 
to  the  crocodile,  there  is  something  forbidding  and  formida- 
ble, which  a  man  should  give  heed  to.  Look  at  the  eye  and 
jaws  of  that  crocodile,  counterpoised  by  a  tail  that  may  at 


any  moment  take  upon  itself  the  functions  of  the  other  ex- 
tremity ;  and  look  at  those  feet  that  are  formed  to  go  back- 
ward or  forward,  according  as  the  supreme  power  shall  be 


238  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

transferred  to  one  extremity  or  the  other — and  say  if  there  is 
anything  in  the  physiognomy  of  that  animal  that  you  could 
confide  in  ? 

The  intellect  of  the  Frenchman  is  in  keeping  with  his  dis- 
position and  with  the  activity  of  his  bodily  organs,  and  is  a 
further  proof  of  his  resemblance  to  the  frog.  He  "jumps  at 
conclusions,"  and  this  requires  that  he  should  have  a  wonder- 
ful degree  of  instinctiveness,  or  an  intuitive  perception  of 
things.  He  does  not  reason,  for  reason  requires  prudence, 
deliberation,  and  proceeds  step  by  step;  whereas,  instinct 
never  delays,  or  makes  a  false  step,  or  puzzles  its  brain  about 
anything.  The  Frenchman  is  most  truly  himself,  most  pros- 
perous, most  happy,  when  he  trusts  entirely  to  Nature ;  but 
when  he  attempts  to  reason,  he  is  sure  to  go  wrong.  In  giv- 
ing the  frog  an  instinct  to  "jump  at  conclusions,"  Nature  has 
provided  a  yielding  element  for  him  to  fall  into,  lest  he  should 
break  his  bones  ;  and  this  provision  is  all  the  more  important, 
inasmuch  as  the  frog  has  but  a  very  general  idea  of  where 
he  is  going  to  leap  to,  and  when  he  makes  a  plunge  it  is  a 
"  leap  in  the  dark."  There  is  the  same  beneficent  provision 
for  the  Frenchman  in  all  that  concerns  his  interests.  "When 
he  jumps  at  conclusions  it  is  at  the  practical,  and  the  practi- 
cal is  always  susceptible  of  modification  and  change ;  like 
water,  into  which  the  frog  plunges  himself,  it  accommodates 
itself  to  the  individual;  and  it  is  in  this  that  the  French- 
man's passion  for  alteration  and  variety  is  intended  to  receive 
its  full  gratification.  But  when  the  conclusion  that  the 
Frenchman  jumps  at  is  theory  —  when  he  aims  at  first  prin- 
ciples—  when  he  endeavors  to  trace  effects  to  causes  —  it  is 
a  leap  in  the  dark  still,  but  it  is  not  into  the  water,  but  against 
a  rock,  and  he  knocks  his  brains  out !  It  is  the  nature  of  his 
mind  to  go  from  mind  to  matter,  from  causes  to  effects,  from 
God  to  the  material  universe ;  and  therefore  if  he  takes  upon 
himself  to  go  contrary  to  this,  he  says  that  Nature  is  God, 
that  effects  are  causes,  that  the  soul  is  from  the  body,  and  that 
principles  are  the  results  of  experiments,  and  have  no  exist- 
ence, no  eternity,  no  authority,  except  as  men  may  choose  to 
establish  them  for  their  own  convenience.     Thus  the  French- 


THE  FROG.  239 

man's  simple  faith,  which  is  the  practice  of  truth,  or  a  life  of 
charity  and  good  works  (the  very  strongest  expression  of  con- 
fidence in  the  principles  by  which  these  are  prompted),  is 
wrecked,  and  he  resembles  a  toad  with  a  tail,  an  alligator,  or 
an  animal  in  which  the  distinction  between  before  and  behind, 
forward  and  backward,  is  not  easily  determined.  When  the 
Frenchman  reasons  a  priori,  it  is  instinctive,  and  he  reaches 
the  conclusion,  though  he  jumps  at  it ;  but  when  he  reasons 
a  posteriori,  he  reasons  a  priori  still,  and  mistakes  this  for 
that :  the  rock  on  which  he  splits  is  Nature  in  place  of  God. 

The  instinctiveness  which  is  so  remarkable  in  the  French- 
man implies  exceeding  confidence  in  the  intuitions  of  his  own 
mind,  and  in  the  dictates  of  Nature.  This  is  more  beautifully 
illustrated  in  Montaigne  than  in  any  other  writer  that  we 
know  of.  But  the  French  philosophers  in  general  have  suf- 
fered a  serious  perversion  by  following  with  the  rest  of  the 
world  in  the  path  of  Bacon ;  or  rather,  in  thinking  that  they 
are  doing  so,  when  they  are  in  reality  going  in  the  very  op- 
posite direction.  They  have  too  little  independence  to  be 
faithful  to  their  own  instincts  and  to  the  principle  of  Descartes 
—  too  little  not  to  adopt  the  inductive  method  of  investigation, 
when  it  is  the  fashion  of  the  age  to  do  so.  The  Baconian 
Frenchman,  when  he  thinks  of  reasoning,  starts  (as  everybody 
else  does)  from  the  basis  of  his  own  mind,  and  thus  acknowl- 
edges its  superiority  over  the  mere  facts  of  science  ;  but,  what 
is  strange,  after  acknowledging  this,  he  goes  to  matter  for  the 
cause  of  the  mental  phenomena  which  he  exhibits  in  the  in- 
vestigation. He  is  no  more  required  to  investigate  causes 
than  a  frog  is  required  to  go  backward ;  and  he  no  more 
needs  a  knowledge  of  them,  further  than  flows  into  him  by 
intuition,  than  a  toad  needs  a  tail ! 

It  is  a  law  that  an  animal  should  correspond  to  the  element 
he  lives  in.  Land  is  stationary :  animals  that  live  upon  it 
can  maintain  a  permanent  position,  and  it  is  nothing  strange 
for  them  to  go  backward.  "Water  and  air  are  progressive ; 
animals  that  live  in  them  are  in  constant  motion  ;  and  for  the 
locomotive  powers  of  a  fish  or  a  bird  to  carry  him  in  any 
other  direction  than  forward  is  a  very  strange  thing  indeed. 


2-iO  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

The  animal  that  lives  in  water  or  air,  and  seldom  touches 
land,  must  "go  ahead,"  and  it  is  his  instinct  to  do  so;  there- 
fore if  in  any  case  he  turns  tail  foremost  and  goes  backward, 
he  is  guilty  of  the  grossest  absurdity  and  violation  of  Nature's 
laws,  and  when  we  look  at  him  we  see  that  he  is  a  monster, 
destitute  of  symmetry  and  proportion,  with  forms  and  shapes 
that  indicate  dispositions  unworthy  even  of  an  animal  —  traits 
unearthly  and  infernal.  Thus  it  is  with  the  lobster,  an  animal 
more  hideous  than  any  that  lives  on  land  ;  and  thus  it  is  with 
the  serpent,  the  alligator,  &c,  though  less  than  with  the  for- 
mer, because,  as  they  live  partly  on  land,  they  are  not  capable 
of  so  great  perversion. 

"  But  what  is  the  application  of  this  to  the  Frenchman  ?" 
For  the  person  who  resembles  a  frog  to  go  backward,  is  to 
change  into  the  nearest  resemblance  to  that  animal  that  can 
be  found  among  animals  of  the  retrograde  variety.  Of  the 
French  infidels  and  atheists,  some  resemble  the  Surinam  frog 
(a  frog  with  a  tail),  some  the  cameleon,  some  the  lizard,  some 
the  alligator ;  and  the  greatest  of  them  all  (if  Voltaire  be  the 
greatest)  resembles  a  lobster,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  expression 
of  the  eyes,  and,  though  less,  in  the  scenery  of  the  face.  The 
Frenchman  being  instinctive  and  by  nature  practical,  lives  in 
the  external,  in  the  sensual,  in  the  material  and  the  gross,  and 
considers  that  if  there  be  any  evidence  besides  the  "  evidence 
of  the  senses,"  there  is  at  least  none  equal  to  it.  But  the  mere 
objects  of  sense  are  filthy,  for  the  simple  reason  that  matter 
is  essentially  dirt,  and  that  it  is  only  the  supremacy  of  the 
spiritual  (in  which  beauty  resides)  that  can  make  it  pure. 
The  sole  reason  why  a  flower  is  not  dirt  as  much  as  the  soil 
from  which  it  grew  is,  that  it  signifies  a  spiritual  beauty,  of 
one  kind  or  another — love,  friendship,  or  some  pure  senti- 
ment; and  unless  an  individual  perceives  this,  his  observation 
of  a  flower  as  an  object  of  sense  is  on  a  par  with  his  observa- 
tion of  soil,  of  a  bug,  of  a  worm,  of  a  snake,  or  any  vile  thing 
on  the  face  of  the  earth.  It  is  no  affectation  in  the  French- 
man to  lay  the  stress  that  he  does  upon  the  "  evidence  of  the 
senses,"  for  he  sees  as  much  beauty  in  the  vilest  reptiles  as  in 
the  most  delightful  birds ;  nay,  he  takes  most  pains  in  exam- 


THE    FROG.  24:1 

ining,  painting,  and  describing  the  former:  and  the  most 
loathsome  swellings  and  diseases  do  not  disgust  him,  but  on 
the  contrary  he  delights  in  examining,  representing,  and  de- 
scribing them,  and  invents  extraordinary  methods  of  perpetu- 
ating and  holding  them  up  to  the  admiration  and  wonder  of 
the  world.     He  exhibits  this  character  of  grossness  and  sen- 
suality in  paintings,  and  in  every  variety  of  art,  to  a  greater 
degree  than  any  other  nation.     He  is  full  of  "  unclean  spirits, 
like  frogs,"  that  were  seen  in  the  Revelation  "  coming  up  out 
of  the  bottomless  pit."     Here  is  one  of  them  (a  Frenchman 
in  caricature),  and  the  man  who  is 
composed  of  frogs  like  this  must  be 
an  illustration  of  the  principle  that 
"the  whole  is  like  the  parts  that 
compose  it."    The  frog  has  those 
things  about  him  that  the  French- 
man admires  :  warts,  bearing  a  like- 
ness to  buboes,  blotches,  and  chan 
cres ;  besides  puffings  and  swellings, 
having  the  appearance  of  tumidities 
from  disease  or  from  excessive  grossness.     Also  the  critical 
acumen  in  reference  to  sensual  objects,  and  the  taste  for  nat- 
ural history,  manifested  by  the  Frenchman,  are  exhibited  by 
the  frog  (and  usefully  too),  in  clearing  the  garden  of  grubs 
and  bugs,  and  leaving  the  more  beautiful  things  comparatively 
untouched.     But  as  bad  as  it  is  to  be  sensual,  and  to  bear  too 
literal  a  resemblance  to  the  frog,  it  is  worse  to  attempt  to  rea- 
son, or  to  go  backward,  when  the  idea  in  the  mind  is  that  the 
objects  of  sense  are  essential,  primary,  superior,  the  most  im- 
portant, and  therefore  the  causes  of  all  things.     Was  there 
ever  anything  so  stupid  as  that  shrug  of  the  shoulders,  and 
that  leaden  gaze,  and  that  motion  toward  a  twigging  of  the 
nose,  which  is  exhibited  by  the  Frenchman  when  he  is  called 
upon  to  know  anything  or  to  believe  anything  beyond  the 
evidence  of  his  senses  ?     Yes  :  the  frog  preceding  is  very  like 
him  and  quite  equal  to  him  in  that ;  and  he  is  himself  ten 
times  more  stupid  and  insensible  when  he  puts  "  the  cart  be- 
fore the  horse,"  the  "  effect  before  the  cause,"  and  declares 

16 


242 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


solemnly  that  reason  has  an  office  to  perform,  and  that  by 
means  of  it  he  knows  something  that  he  did  not  know  before, 
viz.,  that  the  horse  is  pulled  along  by  the  cart,  and  that  what 
people  have  supposed  to  be  the  effect  is  in  reality  the  cause ! 
He  resembles  the  alligator,  and  the  alligator  is  a  stupider  ani- 
mal than  the  frog,  and  far  more  unfeeling 
and  infernal.  The  frog  in  him  took  leave 
of  absence  for  a  while,  in  order  that  he 
might  seek  out  fitting  companions,  and 
when  he  returned  he  brought  such  things 
as  lizards  and  lobsters  with  him  to  share 
in  the  government  of  the  domain.  Thus 
is  illustrated  the  saying:  "When  the  un- 
clean spirit  has  gone  out  from  a  man,  he  walketh  through  dry 
places,  seeking  rest  and  finding  none.  Then  he  saith,  c  I  will 
return  to  the  place  from  which  I  went  out ;'  and  when  he  has 
returned  he  findeth  it  empty,  swept,  and  garnished.  Then 
he  goeth  and  taketh  with  him  seven  other  spirits  worse  than 
himself,  and  they  enter  in  and  dwell  there ;  and  the  last  state 
of  that  man  is  worse  than  the  first." 


THE   FK0G.  243 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

The  expression  "  mercurial  Frenchman"  is  a  familiar  one. 
A  metal  moving  about  like  water,  instead  of  being  crystal- 
lized and  having  a  base  to  stand  upon,  is  no  exaggeration  of 
the  extraordinary  mobility  of  the  people  referred  to.  Attempt- 
ing to  lay  your  hand  on  a  globule  of  mercury  is  like  attempt- 
ing to  lay  your  hand  on  a  frog — you  light  on  emptiness  ;  and 
in  like  manner  you  can  never  get  the  better  of  a  Frenchman 
in  an  argument,  for  he  occupies  no  place  in  particular,  and 
you  can  not  calculate  where  he  will  jump  to.  It  is  a  general 
rule,  however,  that  the  frog  will  jump  into  the  water,  as  the 
deepest  and  most  important  element;  and  in  like  manner 
the  Frenchman  will  jump  to  scientific  facts,  as  the  deepest 
and  most  important  truths.  As  these  are  pliable,  and  he  can 
make  them  what  he  pleases,  it  is  impossible  that  you  should 
trace  him,  except  by  the  mud  which  he  stirs  up  from  the  bot- 
tom, which  soon  obscures  him  entirely !  Supposing  even  that 
you  have  him  in  the  field  where  the  rules  of  rhetoric  are  laid 
down,  you  lay  hands  on  vacuity  when  you  think  he  will  stay 
still.  This  is  not  his  fault,  but  yours ;  but  if  he  takes  to  his 
scientific  facts,  and  from  these  reasons  against  reason,  assu- 
ring you  that  these  are  the  central  truths  and  the  causes  of 
all  others,  argument  is  at  an  end.  As  the  frog  goes  to  its 
natural  element,  so  goes  he  to  his  own  place,  as  the  safest 
for  Mm.  Like  an  infant  in  the  posture  that  is  best  suited 
to  his  condition,  he  regards  only  the  objects  of  the  senses. 
The  ipse  dixit  of  Science,  from  which  he  is  begotten,  puts  an 
end  to  all  dispute.  The  umpire  in  this  case,  who  appears  in 
the  form  of  a  bull-frog,  swells  about  the  throat  till  head  and 
shoulders  are  mingled  into  one,  and  he  appears  like  a  monster 
with  eyes  in  the  upper  part  of  the  chest;  and  all  in  the  en- 


244: 


COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 


deavor  to  utter  a  croak  that  shall  be  deeper  and  more  oracu- 
lar than  any  which  preceded  it.  However  much  you  desire 
to  get  a  sight  at  him,  you  are  doomed  to  disappointment,  for 
he  has  sagacity  enough  to  know  that  the  expectation  that  is 
aroused  by  a  voice  like  that  would  never  be  realized. 

To  mention  all  the  varieties  of  Frenchmen  in  connection 
with  the  varieties  of  the  frog  would  be  an  endless  underta- 
king. There  are  frogs  of  a  sanguinary  disposition  (constitu- 
ting the  entire  population  of  a  pond  of  which  the  water  is  out), 
that  muster  into  a  regular  army,  the  master-spirit  of  which  is 
a  frog  of  wonderful  ambition  and  reckless  of  blood.  Two 
armies  of  this  description  meeting  each  other  leave  thousands 
of  their  number  dead  on  the  ensanguined  field.  Compare 
the  leader  of  a  noisy  army  of  frogs  with  the  picture  called 
Bonaparte,  and  with  others  that  might  be  mentioned.  Then 
there  are  dirty  frogs,  that  live  in  mire,  and  know  not  the  use 
of  water,  but  are  covered  with  spawn  and 
slime ;  and  to  match  these  there  is  a  class 
of  Parisians  that  excel  in  filthiness.  Then 
there  are  clean  frogs,  beautifully  colored 
and  speckled,  that  do  not  even  injure  the 
spring-water  that  they  live  in — frogs  that 
you  really  love  to  take  in  your  hand  wheth- 
er you  be  Frenchman  or  not ;  and  the  like 
of  these  make  Paris  a  cleaner  city  than  any 
other  in  the  world.  Then  there  are  frogs 
with  yellow  skins  and  beautiful  golden  eyes, 
that  hop  about  in  the  sand,  true  to  their  in- 
stinct which  requires  them  to  live  in  an  ele- 
ment that  is  shifting ;  and  these  are  they 
who  talk  of  stability  in  the  government,  and 
build  their  houses  upon  the  sand.  Then  there 
are  toads  "  ugly  and  venomous,"  that  "  live  upon  the  vapor 
of  a  dungeon,"  by  which  their  brains  are  rendered  prolific  — 
toads  who  never  change  their  habits,  and  who  are  therefore 
unmitigatingly  disgusting  in  both  dress  and  manners ;  and  to 
go  with  these  there  are  Frenchmen  who  disfranchise  them- 
selves, who  are  not  reckoned  among  frogs,  but  are  alternately 


THE   FROG. 


245 


sent  to  the  galleys,  banished,  or  imprisoned.  Then  there  are 
tree-toads,  who  take  the  hue  of  the  times  in  which  they  live, 
and  who  are  more  elevated  in  feelings  and  sentiments  than 
the  frogs  who  surround  them,  and  who  redeem  the  character 
of  the  toad,  and  offer  encouragement  and  example  to  the  low- 
liest and  the  most  degraded.  Were  it  not  for  the  Frenchmen 
whose  voices  make  such  sweet  melody  as  these,  in  contrast 
with  the  chattering  and  croaking  of  the  remainder,  the  mul- 
titude of  frogs  would  sink  in  the  depths  of  sensualism,  to  rise 
no  more.  Then  there  are  frogs  that  we  skipped  in  their 
proper  places,  such  as  put  their  heads  together  above  the  sur- 
face of  the  water,  entangled  with  spawn  and  sea- weeds  • — 


bandits  that  disappear  on  the  appearance  of  a,  spectator  the 
moment  he  can  say  "  Jack  I" 

The  talent  for  caricature,  for  which  the  French  are  distin- 
guished, has  its  origin  in  the  love  of  exaggeration  before  spo- 
ken of.  As  it  is  contagious,  we  plead  guilty  to  the  same 
offence.  The  French  know  how  to  take  these  things ;  and 
besides,  as  a  general  rule,  it  is  a  sufficient  compliment  to  rep- 
resent a  man  as  he  really  is.  A  man  is  in  general  what  he 
chooses  to  be ;  and  hence  the  danger  of  offence  is  in  descri- 
bing him  as  he  is  not.  The  French  love  to  have  their  quali- 
ties exaggerated,  and  therefore  it  is  that  they  deal  in  compli- 
ments as  well  as  in  caricature.     They  have  little  inclination 


24:6  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

to  be  dissatisfied  with  what  is  said  of  them ;  for  when  they 
are  "  blown"  they  are  ready  for  blows,  and  a  blow  from  a 
stone  does  them  no  more  harm  than  a  blow  of  wind.  For  the 
same  reason,  when  a  Frenchman  is  able  to  dress  himself  as 
he  chooses,  he  can  pass  for  whatever  he  likes  : — 

"Through  tattered  clothes  small  vices  do  appear; 
Robes  and  furred  gowns  hide  all !" 

With  such  a  tournure  as  he  alone  has  the  art  of  producing, 
he  does  not  ask  even  the  mantle  of  charity  to  be  thrown  over 
him.  He  is  fond  of  wit,  and  a  good  joke  is  never  at  his  ex- 
pense, for  he  has  more  instinct  and  less  sensibility  than  others. 
He  plays  with  heads  as  a  child  with  a  rocket,  and  a  revolu- 
tion is  genuine  sport  —  to  all  but  those  who  say,  like  the 
frogs  in  the  fable,  "  It  may  be  sport  to  you,  but  it  is  death 
to  us !" 

Apropos  of  this,  the  French  being  remarkably  like  chil- 
dren, and  having  a  great  deal  of  instinct  as  animals  have,  are 
wonderfully  fond  of  fables ;  and  there  is  a  fable  which  relates 
that  once  upon  a  time  the  frogs  became  wearied  of  their  mo- 
notonous existence,  and  prayed  to  Jupiter  to  send  them  a 
king  ;  whereupon  the  god  sent  them  a  log,  which  killed  many 
as  it  fell  among  them,  and  made  such  a  splashing  that  the 
rest  were  awed  into  stillness ;  until,  finding  that  it  had  no 
longer  any  power  of  doing  them  harm,  they  became  impa- 
tient—  abused,  insulted,  and  leaped  upon  it,  and  accused 
Jupiter  of  sending  them  a  thing,  and  at  the  same  time  de- 
manded of  him  with  deafening  clamor  that  he  should  send 
them  a  king  that  was  animated,  like  themselves,  only  a  great 
deal  more  so ;  whereupon  Jupiter  sent  them  a  stork,  that  be- 
gan immediately  to  devour  them  with  an  appetite  that  threat- 
ened to  exterminate  the  race.  This  is  the  sum  and  substance 
of  the  fable,  and  it  is  particularly  applicable  to  the  people 
who  resemble  frogs,  as  much  so  as  if  it  had  been  written  to 
describe  them.  iEsop  must  have  been  inspired  to  have  proph- 
esied so  correctly,  and  to  have  understood  the  character  of  the 
frog  so  well.  The  log  will  do  very  well  to  represent  the  rule 
of  those  Frenchmen  who,  after  the  distinction  necessary  to  a 


THE   FROG. 


247 


revolution,  allow  the  people  to  do  as  they  please.  The  stork 
will  represent  the  rule  of  one  who  absorbs  into  himself  the 
will  and  functions  of  the 
people,  and  interprets  them 
as  he  sees  fit.  The  former 
is  like  a  log,  because  the 
Frenchmen  who  are  par- 
ticularly concerned  in  it 
are  of  the  variety  that  re- 
semble alligators,  the  most 
refined  and  elevated  of 
whom  have  the  character 
of  cameleons ;  and  the  lat- 


ter is  like  a  stork,  because 
the  person  who  exercises 
it  resembles  that  bird:  like 
the  crow,  vulture,  and  oth- 
er carrion-birds,  the  stork 
is  cowardly ;  but  he  has  a  show  of  courage  ;  he  is  not  boldly 
but  cunningly  revengeful.  His  faults  are  primarily  his  fond- 
ness for  carrion  and  for  every  species  of  filth  and  nuisance, 


his  cowardice,  also  his  love  of  snakes  and  reptiles — for  though 
these  are  regarded  as  high  virtues  in  the  bird,  as  making  him 
an  excellent  scavenger,  and  the  receptacle  of  things  so  vile 


248 


COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 


that  even  the  vilest  of  human  beings  reject  them,  yet  they  are 
the  foundation  of  the  most  despicable  traits  in  a  human  being. 
The  lazy  and  vicious  are  very  fond  of  whatever  relieves  them 
from  the  trouble  of  labor  and  cleanliness ;  and  this  is  the  rea- 
son why  the  stork  is  held  in  such  high  esteem  in  Egypt,  Hol- 
land, and  many  other  countries,  and  why  the  Mohammedans 
even  venerate  him.  As  he  is  fond  of  frogs,  it  is  but  right  and 
proper  that  frogs  should  be  fond  of  him,  particularly  when 
they  add  to  the  cause  of  their  liking  him  his  disposition  to 
relieve  them  of  all  trouble  of  governing  and  disposing  of  them- 
selves. His  fondness  for  frogs  may  be  shown  in  this :  "  Bel- 
lonius  informs  us  that  storks  visit  Egypt  in  such  abundance, 
that  the  fields  and  meadows  are  white  with  them,  and  that 
the  natives  are  pleased  with  their  arrival,  as  the  birds  deliver 
them  from  innumerable  swarms  of  frogs,  and  also  devour  ser- 
pents." The  "  grave  air  and  mournful  visage"  of  the  stork 
constitute  one  of  the  resemblances  to  the  person  of  whom  the 
following  is  a  portrait  (Louis  Napoleon).    The  Marabou  stork 

is  the  bird  we  have  chosen 
to  stand  by  his  side.  For 
a  description  we  quote  from 
a  writer  on  natural  history : 
"In  its  habits  this  bird 
bears  a  close  resemblance 
to  the  white  stork  of  Europe, 


but  becomes  still  more  familiar,  and,  in  consequence  of  its 
larger  size,  renders  more  essential  service  in  the  removal  of 
carrion,  offal,  and  other  nuisances.    This  important  office, 


THE   FROG.  249 

like  the  adjutants  of  Calcutta,  it  shares  with  the  vultures ; 
and  both  birds  are  universally  privileged  from  all  annoyance, 
in  return  for  so  meritorious  exertion  of  their  natural  propensi- 
ties. They  seem  to  be  constantly  attracted  by  heaps  of  offen- 
sive substances  collected  in  the  villages  and  towns,  which 
they  devour  without  scruple,  and  in  immense  quantities.  .  .  . 
Nothing  seems  to  come  amiss  to  the  voracious  appetite  [of 
this  stork] ;  for  when  carrion  is  scarce,  it  attacks  reptiles, 
small  birds,  and  even  the  lesser  quadrupeds  (as  mice),  which 
it  usually  swallows  entire."  From  this  it  appears  that  no 
very  great  danger  is  to  be  apprehended  from  such  birds,  ex- 
cept by  frogs,  and  animals  that  are  more  weak  and  cowardly 
than  themselves.  "  When  excited,  they  elongate  their  necks, 
and  stand  at  their  full  height,  menacing  with  their  large  bills, 
which  are,  however,  too  light  to  inflict  any  serious  injury, 
even  had  the  birds  courage  enough  to  attempt  it." 

Having  spoken  hastily  of  King  Stork,  we  will  give  a  brief 
description  of  King  Log.  There  are  certain  frogs  whose 
greatness  appears  in  the  grating  of  their  voices.  As  it  is  not 
natural  for  instinct  to  reason,  these,  by  setting  themselves  up 
to  be  reasoners,  and  by  reasoning  backward  when  it  is  their 
instinct  to  go  forward,  degenerate  into  lizards  of  the  larger 
variety — large,  because  it  is  their  ambition  to  be  so,  as  indi- 
cated by  their  voice,  and  by  their  habits  of  swelling  and  ex- 
pansion. 

Opposite  to  these  there  are  tree-toads,  with  fine,  soft,  musi- 
cal voices,  and  with  a  disposition  to  shrink  into  the  substance 
of  the  tree  that  they  are  perched  upon,  at  the  same  time  that 
they  desire  eminence  —  as  much,  even,  as  the  frogs  last  men- 
tioned desire  a  grovelling  situation,  and  to  be  distinguished. 
The  Frenchmen  who  resemble  tree-toads,  by  adopting  induc- 
tion as  the  rule  of  reasoning,  degenerate  into  a  resemblance 
to  the  cameleon,  the  most  harmless  and  beautiful  of  lizards, 
as  the  tree-toad  is  the  most  harmless  and  beautiful  of  toads. 
Who  can  look  at  the  following  portrait  of  a  Frenchman,  and 
not  say  that  it  is  a  genuine  "  character,"  a  distinct  genus, 
drawn  to  the  life  ?  Would  you  not  know  by  those  feet  and 
hands  that  he  had  wonderful  powers  of  clinging  to  whatever 


250 


COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 


lie  takes  hold  of?    That  right  arm  has  the  peculiar  thrust 
that  is  observed  in  the  right  fore-leg  of  the  cameleon,  and  it 

is  evidently  grasping  the  con- 
tents of  his  pocket.  That  left 
arm  has  the  very  same  char- 
acter that  is  observed  in  the 
corresponding  member  of  the 
quadruped.  That  left  leg — 
how  admirably  it  imitates  the 
left  that  sets  itself  down  on 
the  limb  of  the  tree !  and  the 
right,  how  like  in  character 
to  the  one  that  forms  the  ba- 
sis of  support,  and  insures 
safety  to  the  cameleon !  and 
even  the  coat-tail  adds  ama- 
zingly to  the  resemblance,  in 
the  manner  of  its  descent  from 


the  back,  in  its  length,  and  in  the  support  which  it  adds  to 
the  posterior  aspect  of  the  right  extremity.  But  when  we 
ascend  to  the  head,  the  likeness  is  no  less  remarkable,  and 
still  more  interesting.  In  the  peculiar  angle  and  curve  of 
that  forelock  the  individual  has  embodied  some  striking  trait 
of  his  character — an  endeavor,  it  may  be,  to  resemble  the 
cameleon  in  the  artistic  disposal  of  everything  belonging  to 
him.  The  top  and  back  part  of  his  head,  together  with  the 
forelock,  turning  up  on  one  side  and  down  on  the  other,  are 
imaged  forth  in  corresponding  points  in  the  head  of  the  came- 
leon. The  nose,  too,  has  the  very  curve,  and  the  very  expression 


THE   FROG.  251 

of  stubbedness  of  disposition,  together  with  the  love  of  emi- 
nence and  accommodation,  in  the  proportions,  that  are  rudely 
set  forth  in  the  nasal  organ  of  the  inferior  animal.     Arid  that 
eye,  was  there  ever  any  like  it  save  in  the  cameleon  ?    Does  it 
not  seem  as  if  it  would  look  this  way  while  the  left  eye  looked 
the  other  ?  and  as  if  it  would  look  upward  while  the  left  regard- 
ed the  earth  ?     Precisely  so ;  and  in  this  he  bears  as  close  a 
resemblance  to  the  cameleon  as  in  other  things.    It  is  well 
known  that  the  cameleon  has  the  power  of  moving  the  eyes 
in  opposite  directions,  up  and  down,  and  toward  all  points  of 
the  compass,  just  as  if  he  were  two  animals  instead  of  one. 
Descending  from  the  head  to  the  chest,  we  see  in  the  form 
of  the  latter,  in  the  whole  length  of  the  vest,  in  the  swelled 
and  in  the  girted  portion,  and  from  the  top  to  the  groin,  the 
evidences  of  a  disposition  in  this  particular  Frenchman  to 
borrow  his  fashions  from  this  favorite  pattern  of  the  qualities 
of  mind  and  heart  that  he  is  inclined  to  cultivate.    There  can 
be  no  doubt  of  his  abilities  and  disposition  to  change  his  col- 
ors to  suit  the  times  and  circumstances,  to  blend  in  with  that 
which  most  predominates,  and  to  turn  that  coat  of  his  as  often 
as  the  exigencies  of  the  case  may  require ;  and  of  course  this 
implies  the  ability,  if  not  really  the  disposition,  to  bear  a 
scolding  tongue,  and  not  merely  to  survive  under  it,  but  to 
take  it  good-naturedly,  and  to  thrive  and  prosper,  and  to 
speak  a  good  word  to  the  neighbors  in  favor  of  his  amiable 
spouse. 

The  moral  qualities  are  swerved  from  their  proper  and  le- 
gitimate action  by  the  influence  of  the  animal  faculties  when 
the  latter  predominate,  as  was  shown  in  the  peculiar  action 
of  justice  consequent  upon  the  bovine  qualities  of  those  who 
resemble  the  ox.  "  Pulling  and  hauling"  is  the  sum  of  pro- 
ceedings in  the  English  courts,  and  oxwhips  are  applied  lust- 
ily, accompanied  with  shouts,  in  which  "gee"  and  "haw" 
are  the  conspicuous  words,  equivalent  to  pro  and  con  ;  and 
it  is  curious  that  oxen,  like  John  Bulls,  are  directed  to  pull 
to  the  right  and  to  the  left  at  the  same  time,  as  is  evident 
from  the  repeated  command,  "  Gee-haw !"  Hodge  is  quite 
certain  of  being  obeyed  when  he  utters  such  an  order  as  this, 


252  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

and  he  delights  in  the  increased  labors  of  his  oxen  in  their 
endeavor  to  pull  away  from  each  other,  for  they  are  "  perform- 
ing an  immense  amount  of  labor"  —  the  grand  thing  which 
he  proposes  to  accomplish.  In  respect  to  justice,  John  Bull 
and  Monsieur  Frog  are  the  very  antipodes  of  each  other.  Nat- 
ural historians  inform  us  that  the  ranunculi  have  a  singular 
mode  of  administering  capital  punishment.  Two  stout  fellows 
place  themselves  on  each  side  of  the  offender,  and  crowd  up- 
on him  until  they  have  crushed  him  to  death.  In  like  man- 
ner, French  justice  places  the  accused  between  two  parties ; 
and  these,  instead  of  inclining  to  separation,  are  disposed  to 
agreement :  both  parties  conspire  to  condemn,  and  agree  to 
"  go  halves"  in  the  division  of  the  spoils !  If  a  king  or  a 
deputy  is  so  unfortunate  as  to  come  to  trial,  the  people  rush 
upon  him  en  masse  /  there  are  none  to  defend  him,  and  his 
death  is  the  explosion  that  scatters  them  in  wild  disorder,  to 
concentrate  again  at  the  Tuileries,  or  some  other  place,  where 
they  revenge  the  death  of  their  former  victim  upon  their 
leader.  They  are  essentially  democratic  only  on  this  princi- 
ple, that  "  where  the  carcass  is  there  the  eagles  are  gathered 
together."  We  have  seen  it  suggested  that  the  eagle  which 
the  French  republic  displays  aloft  is  a  Gallic  bird,  and  may 
be  nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  gallinaceous  fowl. 


THE   DOG. 


253 


CHAPTEE   XXXI 


We  have  lingered  on  the  verge  of  one  part  of  our  subject, 
longing  for  the  eloquence  which  it  would  seem  calculated  to 
inspire,  and  find  that  we  are  likely  never  to  go  on  unless  we 
content  us  with  plain  English,  like  that  which  has  already 
served  us.  That  subject  is  the  resemblance  between  the  Irish- 
man and  the  dog ;  and  the  eloquence  which  we  craved  (with- 
out knowing  exactly  what  we  were 
waiting  for)  is  "  Irish  eloquence." 
This  is  so  prominent  a  trait  of  Irish 
character,  that  if  the  resemblance 


alluded  to  exists,  it  must  be  characteristic  of  the  dog.  And 
so  it  is.  Listen  how  the  loud  sound  of  the  watch-dog  booms 
through  the  air  at  night,  and  how  the  welkin  rings  with  re- 
sponses from 

*•  mongrel,  puppy,  whelp,  and  hound, 

And  curs  of  low  degree," 

in  imitation  of  guns,  thunder,  and  the  rolling  eloquence  called 
oratory  !  On  all  sides  round  echoes  the  "  war  of  words,"  in 
which  accent  and  emphasis  play  the  conspicuous  part,  the 
sounds  being  jerked  forth  like  the  report  of  a  rifle ;  and  the 


254:  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

merest  squib  of  them  all  is  as  ambitious  of  being  the  "  big 
gun"  as  the  one  that  may  justly  lay  claim  to  that  distinction. 
Is  not  this  a  description  of  Irish  eloquence?  Has  not  the 
Irishman  pathos  also  to  express  his  bereavement  ?  and  does 
he  not  hold  his  "  wakes,"  in  which  he  rivals  the  dog  in  wail- 
ing, as  at  other  times  he  rivals  him  in  debate  and  oratory  ? 
He  seems  to  howl  and  bay  the  moon,  as  if  the  wavering  stars 
would  shed  more  tears,  and  the  chaste  Diana,  the  patroness 
of  thieves  and  vagabonds,  would  be  melted  with  sympathy  at 
the  tale  of  his  sufferings :  not  to  say  that  the  Irishman  is  a 
thief  and  a  vagabond,  in  a  worse  sense  than  that  he  is  exact- 
ing, and  that  he  gives  himself  up  "  to  license  unrestrained," 
and  with  a  feeling  of  abandonment  to  be  the  prey  of  pick- 
pockets, grief,  beggary,  and  intemperance.  "We  speak  now 
of  the  "  common  run"  of  Irish,  and  they  are  like  the  "  com- 
mon run"  of  dogs  that  "  take  after  them,"  and  that  are  thieves 
and  vagabonds  without  qualification. 

The  Irish,  take  them  as  they  come  over,  are  remarkable 
for  holding  you  by  the  button  while  they  inflict  upon  you 
what  they  have  to  say,  or  (if  they  are  so  fortunate  as  to  be 
merchants)  what  they  have  to  sell ;  and  they  are  distinguished 
for  pertinacity  in  begging,  or  in  "  beating  down ;"  and,  cer- 
tainly, if  they  are  so  elevated  as  to  be  purchasers  instead  of 
beggars,  they  have  a  right  to  be  impudent,  though  it  is  some- 
what difficult  to  distinguish  buying  (as  they  practise  it)  from 
begging!  The  Irishman's  mouth  waters  for  everything  he 
sees,  and  he  is  the  "  greatest  tease,"  in  every  sense  of  the 
term,  of  anybody  we  know  of,  with  the  exception  of  the  dog, 
who,  it  must  be  expected,  will  follow  the  fortunes  of  his  mas- 
ter. "  Like  master  like  man"  is  a  trite  saying,  and  as  true  as 
it  is  trite.  Compare  the  Irishman  and  the  dog  in  respect  to 
barking,  snarling,  howling,  begging,  fawning,  flattering,  back- 
biting, quarrelling,  blustering,  scenting,  seizing,  hanging  on, 
teasing,  rollicking,  and  whatever  other  traits  you  may  discover 
in  either,  and  you  will  be  convinced  that  there  is  a  wonderful 
resemblance. 

The  son  of  old  Erin  wastes  his  breath  in  sighing  for  the 
past,  and  fails  in  his  efforts  for  the  future  because  he  has  no 


THE   DOG.  255 

heart  in  it.  He  has  ardent  wishes,  but  it  is  for  the  old,  for 
everything  hallowed  by  the  tender  associations  of  bygone 
days.  Yet  these  refer  to  some  wished-for  good  in  the  future. 
"What  he  hopes  and  anticipates  is,  the  return  of  the  good  old 
times  of  learning  and  hospitality,  of  domestic  affection  and 
neighborly  love,  which  characterized  his  ancestors.  Noble 
traits  were  these,  and  it  is  the  deep  consciousness  of  the  same 
affections  in  his  bosom  still  that  links  him  to  the  past  with  a 
tie  that  bleeds  and  suffers  with  everything  in  the  present  and 
the  future  that  essays  to  rend  it. 

In  our  opinion,  we  have  alluded  to  the  finest  trait  in  the 
Irish  character  —  a  susceptibility  to  an  exquisiteness  of  pleas- 
ure or  of  pain,  which  comes  from  an  extraordinary  degree  of 
consciousness.  The  cords  of  affection  in  his  breast  are  en- 
dowed with  the  highest  degree  of  sensibility,  and  for  the  rea- 
son that  they  do  not  utter  themselves  but  in  tones  of  the  most 
thrilling  pathos,  and  therefore  it  is  too  that  they  refuse  to  be 
broken.  They  attach  him  to  the  past,  to  the  objects  of  his 
first  love,  and  the  necessity  of  change  rends  his  heart.  But 
there  is  a  way  in  which  he  can  submit  to  the  operation  of 
having  the  ties  which  bind  him  to  his  kindred  and  country 
rent  asunder,  and  his  heart  taken  from  him  as  if  it  were  a 
fungous  excrescence  —  and  that  is,  to  be  made  drunk.  Alas 
that  he  should  have  fallen  into  the  sad  necessity  of  being 
made  insensible,  that  he  might  suffer  himself  to  be  torn  from 
all  that  his  heart  holds  dear — from  wife,  and  children,  and 
home,  and  the  relics  of  his  ancestors !  What  is  left  of  the 
Irishman  when  you  take  from  him  his  household  gods,  and 
his  tender  susceptibility  of  pleasure  and  pain?  He  is  a  mis- 
erable imitation  of  the  Frenchman  (see  next  page),  both  in 
the  frivolity  and  hilarity  which  are  the  first  effects  of  intoxi- 
cation, and  in  the  loss  of  sensibility,  and  the  sundering  of 
domestic  ties,  and  the  recklessness  of  old  associations  and  of 
the  feelings  of  others,  which  are  the  inevitable  result  of  his 
potations  repeated  and  persevered  in.  He  becomes  a  fatalist 
as  much  worse  than  the  Frenchman  as  madness  is  worse  than 
folly,  as  whiskey  is  worse  than  wine,  and  as  insensibility  that 
is  induced  is  worse  than  that  which  is  natural.    He  prates 


256 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


and  babbles,  and  is  full  of  the  ambition  of  being  an  orator, 
and  is  in  every  respect  as  miserable  a  caricature  of  the  French- 
man as  the  perverted  American  is  a  miserable  representation 


of  a  Chinaman,  and  as  the  degenerate  Italian  is  a  miserable 
impersonation  of  the  Englishman.  It  will  not  do  for  the  Irish 
to  resemble  frogs,  nor  for  dogs  to  resemble  Frenchmen.     The 


consciousness  of  the  Irishman  adapts  him  to  domestic  life,  to 
which  the  dog  is  suited  ;  and  the  instinctiveness  of  the  French- 
man adapts  him  to  communism,  like  that  of  the  frog,  or  those 
wonderful  examples  of  instinct  the  bee  and  the  ant :  and  an 
attempt  to  reverse  the  order  of  things  is  destructive  to  both. 
France  is  a  bad  atmosphere  for  the  Irishman ;  and  let  the 
man  who  resembles  the  dog,  or  is  a  descendant  of  the  Irish, 


THE   DOG. 


257 


not  be  ambitious  to  "  learn  French."  If  you  find  him  so,  you 
will  also  find  him  snappish,  ambitious  of  being  a  politician, 
and  of  distinguishing  himself  as  an  orator;  and  in  default  of 
these  he  will  be  for  ever  applying  the  "  lash  of  scorpions"  to 
his  nearest  neighbor. 

"  Close  at  my  heels  the  snappish  cur 
With  yelping  treble  flies"  — 

will  be  applicable  to  him.  French  dogs  are  the  least  amiable 
of  their  species,  if  we  may  judge  from  what  Dickens  says  of 
them :  .  .  .  .  "  And  here  are  sheep-dogs,  sensible  as  ever,  but 
with  a  certain  French  air  about  them,  not  without  a  suspicion 
of  dominoes,  with  a  kind  of  flavor  of  mustache  and  beard ; 
demonstrative  dogs,  shaggy  and  loose  where  an  English  dog 
would  be  tight  and  close ;  not  so  troubled  with  business  cal- 
culations as  our  English  drovers'  dogs,  who  have  always  got 
their  sheep  on  their 
minds,  and  think  of 
their  work,  even  rest- 
ing, as  you  may  see 
by  their  faces  —  but 
dashing,  showy,  ra- 
ther unreliable  dogs, 
who  might  worry  me 
instead  of  their  legit- 
imate charges  if  they 
saw  occasion  —  and 
might  see  it  some- 
what suddenly."    The  genuine  Irishman  —  the  one  who  is 

worthy  a  birthplace  on  the 
Emerald  isle  —  resembles  that 
noblest  of  all  dogs,  the  Irish 
wolf-dog,  and  more  the  dog 
of  St.  Bernard  and  the  New- 
foundland dog  than  the  scav- 
enger-dog of  the  city  and  the 
great  variety  of  whining,bark- 
ing,  howling,  snarling,  snap- 
17 


^ ,^f§¥ 


258  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

ping  dogs  that,  like  Irishmen,  are  scattered  the  world  over. 
The  man  who  in  feature  and  expression  resembles  those  no- 
bler animals  just  mentioned,  is  more  seen  than  heard  ;  he  has 
feelings  too  deep  for  utterance  ;  he  is  linked  to  the  past  by 
the  tenderest  associations ;  his  love  is  pure,  concentrated,  of 
the  strongest  kind,  and  therefore  eternal,  looking  to  the  future 
for  the  consummation  of  what  is  already  begun.  He  is  the 
very  opposite  of  the  Frenchman,  and  the  farthest  remove  pos- 
sible from  the  vacillating,  tyrannical,  cruel,  faithless,  hypo- 
critical, beslavering  Irishman,  who  illustrates  the  saying  of 
Pope : — 

"  Of  all  mad  creatures,  if  the  learned  are  right, 
It  is  the  slaver  kills,  and  not  the  bite  !" 

Those  nobler  Irishmen  are  found  at  home,  for  their  hearts  are 
there ;  and  if  they  are  compelled  to  leave  their  country  (not 
"  for  their  country's  good,"  as  certain  Englishmen  are  who 
are  sent  to  Botany  bay),  you  hear  them  use  the  word  "  home" 
as  synonymous  with  their  country,  when  they  refer  to  the 
land  that  gave  them  birth  ;  that  is  marked  everywhere  by  the 
hallowed  shrines  and  footprints  of  their  ancestors.  They  have 
true  eloquence,  the  very  opposite  of  that  haranguing,  brawl- 
ing, litigating,  campaigning,  brazen  eloquence  of  the  "  com- 
mon Irish,"  who,  in  reversing  their  original  character,  outdo 
the  peculiarities  of  the  French.  Their  words  are  the  language 
of  genuine  feeling,  but  they  are  generally  silent,  for  the  love 
that  burns  in  their  bosoms  is  a  holy  name.  Their  eloquence 
is  the  very  essence  of  harmony  and  pathos,  and  every  word 
they  utter  may  be  treasured  as  an  embodiment  of  love,  a  sacred 
memento  of  the  heart  from  which  it  came. 

Thackeray,  in  his  "  Irish  Sketch-Book,"  speaks  thus  of  Irish 
gentlemen:  "I  have  met  more  gentlemen  here  than  in  any 
other  place  I  ever  saw  —  gentlemen  of  high  and  low  ranks, 
that  is  to  say  —  men  shrewd  and  delicate  of  perception,  ob- 
servant of  society,  entering  into  the  feelings  of  others,  and 
anxious  to  set  them  at  ease  or  to  gratify  them."  This  is  in 
consequence  of  the  exquisite  susceptibility  which  we  call  con- 
sciousness, but  when  he  adds,  "  of  course  exaggerating  their 
professions  of  kindness,  and  in  so  far  insincere,"  we  behold 


THE   DOG. 


the  tendency  toward  "  puppyism,"  or  a  resemblance  to  those 
dogs  that  fawn,  first  .upon  their  masters  and  finally  upon  ev- 
erybody, especially  upon  those  from  whom  they  hope  to 
receive  favors ;  and  in  the  last  stage  of  all  they  become 
"  toadies." 

The  same  writer  says :  "In  regard  to  the  Munster  ladies, 
I  had  the  pleasure  to  be  present  at  two  or  three  evening  par- 
ties at  Cork,  and  must  say  that  they  seem  to  excel  English 
ladies,  not  only  in  wit  and  vivacity,  but  in  the  still  more  im- 
portant article  of  the  toilet.     They  are  as  well  dressed  as 

Frenchwomen,  and  incomparably  handsomer In  the 

carriages,  among  the  ladies  of  Kerry,  every  second  woman 
was  handsome ;  and  there  is  something  peculiarly  tender  and 
pleasing  in  the  looks  of  the  young  female  peasantry,  that  is 

perhaps  even  better  than  beauty The  hair  flowing  loose 

and  long  is  a  pretty  characteristic  of  the  women  of  the  coun- 
try ;  many  a  fair  one  do  you  see  at  the  door  of  the  cabin, 
combing  complacently  'that  greatest  ornament  of  female 
beauty.'  ....  I  never  saw  in  any  country  such  general  grace 
of  manner  and  ladyhood." 

"Were  we  to  choose  the  animal 
that  would  most  resemble  this 
description,  we  would  choose  the 
most  beautiful  in  the  world,  and 
that  would  be  the  King  Charles 
spaniel  (see  next  page).  The  still 
consciousness  ;  the  deep  feeling 
and  sympathy  of  those  eyes,  in 
which  there  is  more  eloquence 
than  words  can  utter ;  the  quiet, 
the  gentleness,  the  grace ;  the 
exquisite  cultivation  and  refine- 
ment, of  which  those  very  long, 
pendent  ears  are  the  tokens  ;  ev- 
erything about  the  dear  crea- 
ture that  speaks  of  tenderness 
and  love,  of  domestic  happiness,  of  exquisite  appreciation  and 
sensibility,  of  sensitiveness  to  unkind  treatment,  of  forgive- 


260 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


ness,  of  meekness,  of  inoffensive  innocence,  of  a  disposition  to 
live  in  peace  and  harmony  with  all  mankind  —  remind  us  of 
woman  in  that  refined  society  that  is  included  within  the  do- 
mestic circle,  and  has  its  origin  from  domestic  virtue. 

Saint  Patrick  is  said  to  have  driven  all  the  toads  and  snakes 
out  of  Ireland,  and  we  might  add  lizards  included,  for  these 
are  a  medium  between  the  two.  But,  in  expelling  them  from 
the  land,  he  may  have  caused  them  to  transmigrate,  and  to 
appear  again  under  the  mask  of  the  native  inhabitants ! 
"  Bloody  Irishman"  is  a  term  applicable  to  the  Irish  in  gen- 
eral, but  particularly  to  that  variety  that  resembles  the  bull- 
dog. "  Kill"  is  a  word  attached  to  half  the  places  in  Ireland 
—  Kildare,  Kilkenny,  Killarney,  Kilkerny,  etc.     It  should  be 

remarked,  however,  that  the 
noblest  varieties  of  dogs,  of 
which  the  bull-dog  is  one,  be- 
come by  perversion  the  very 
worst ;  and  the  same  is  true 
of  those  persons  who  resemble 


the  nobler  varieties  of  dogs.    They  are  either  remarkable  for 
their  stanch  integrity  and  tenacious  adherence  to  the  princi- 


THE   DOG.  261 

pies  of  honor  and  uprightness,  or  they  are  noted  for  their 
tenacity  of  purpose,  right  or  wrong,  and  in  pursuit  of  their 
victims  are  like  Spanish  bloodhounds ;  or  they  answer  better 
still  to  the  description  of  Cerberus  at  the  gate  of  hell.  The 
man  who  resembles  the  shepherd's  dog  is  by  perversion  con- 
verted into  a  resemblance  to  the  wolf.  His  affection  for 
sheep,  or  in  other  words  for  innocence  and  virtue,  is  convert- 
ed into  the  appetite  for  mutton,  or  the  desire  to  seduce  and 
to  devour  that  which  it  is  his  duty  to  protect.  He  has  in  his 
face  a  look  of  innocence,  like  that  which  he  lives  upon,  but 
which  he  changes  into  its  opposite.  He  is  the  "wolf  in 
sheep's  clothing."  He  looks  u  sheepish,"  in  a  sense  that  can 
hardly  be  distinguished  from  "  wolfish,"  and  when  he  looks 
with  admiration  upon  unstained  beauty  in  the  opposite  sex 
you  can  see  in  him  an  "  evil  eye"  like  that  which  is  discov- 
erable in  the  wolf,  or  like  that  which  makes  the  dog  look  "  as 
if  he  had  been  stealing  sheep."  The  dog,  if  he  be  worthy  of 
the  name,  is  "  death"  upon  the  wolf,  and  this  is  particularly 
the  case  with  the  Irish  wolf-dog,  who  resembles  that  animal 
as  much  as  he  hates  him.  This  is  just  the  difference  between 
the  genuine  coin  and  the  counterfeit :  the  more  the  latter  is 
like  the  former,  the  more  vile  and  worthless  it  is,  and  the 
more  it  is  opposite  to  the  true.  Hypocrisy  is  the  very  oppo- 
site of  the  goodness  which  it  affects,  for  it  is  the  perversion 
of  truth,  which  is  falsehood,  and  the  perversion  of  virtue, 
which  is  vice.  But  though  the  wolf-dog  and  the  wolf  resem- 
ble each  other  and  resemble  the  sheep,  the  one  has  a  mean, 
cruel,  cowardly  expression  of  countenance,  and  the  other  has 
a  magnanimous,  mild,  courageous  expression,  that  wins  your 
confidence.  And  so  it  is  with  the  "  Shepherd  of  the  sheep" 
and  with  the  "  wolf  in  sheep's  clothing."  The  "  sheep,"  we 
are  told,  are  able  to  distinguish  between  one  and  the  other. 

The  dog  is  a  very  great  wit,  and  exceedingly  fond  of  sport 
and  game.  He  shows  his  waggish  disposition  in  the  manner 
in  which  he  plays  with  you  and  with  other  dogs.  He  appre- 
ciates the  joke  you  play  upon  him  if  it  be  a  good-natured 
one,  and  surprises  you  by  the  disposition  he  has  to  reciprocate 
it,  and  by  the  tact  he  displays  in  making  you  the  subject  of 


262 


COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 


laughter.  He  is  alive  to  fun  and  frolic — not  playfulness 
merely,  like  that  of  the  cat,  but  something  absolutely  droll, 
ridiculous,  and  absurd.  The  parallel  of  this  to  the  disposition 
and  talent  for  which  the  Irish  are  most  celebrated,  is  at  once 
perceived.  The  lowest,  the  most  ignorant,  the  most  stupid, 
are  not  exempt  from  a  peculiar  kind  of  smartness,  a  certain 
keen  perception  of  the  ludicrous,  and  a  readiness  in  making 
apt  replies ;  and  there  is  not  a  dog  but  has  the  same  appreci- 
ation, and  the  same  facility  of  expressing  it,  so  far  as  a  dumb 
dog  can  express  his  ideas  of  things.  The  tolerance  with  which 
a  Newfoundland  or  a  dignified  old  mastiff  regards  the  gam- 
bols of  a  puppy,  who  makes  bold  to  jump  into  his  face  and 
pull  him  by  the  tail,  is  not  mere  forbearance,  but  is,  if  we 
may  judge  anything  from  his  actions  and  the  expressions  of 
his  countenance,  in  consequence  in  no  small  degree  of  the 
gratification  of  his  "  wit  and  mirthfulness." 

This  talent  for  wit  sharpens  the  Irishman's  slander,  as  is 
evident  from  the  nature  of  his  satire ;  and  it  is  similar  with 

the  dog,  as  is  shown  in 
his  worrying  and  teas- 
ing poor  animals  instead 


f,   s_     ' 


of  doing  simply  what  his  master  bids  him.  It  is  easy  to  set 
him  on,  but  hard  to  call  him  off,  and  precisely  so  it  is  with 
the  "  plaguey"  Irishman.  There  is  a  wonderful  tenacity  in 
this  love  of  teasing,  which  is  the  counterpart  of  the  French- 
man's fondness  for  caricature  ;  and  the  poor  victim,  thinking 
the  dog  has  "the  wrong  pig  by  the  ear,"  is  fain  to  cry. 


THE   DOG. 


263 


"  Bloody  murder !"  and  "  Leave  go !"  The  dog,  we  know,  cries 
some  time  after  he  is  hurt,  showing  the  continuance  of  the 
pain,  but  the  hog  ceases  shouting  as  soon  as  the  dog  ceases 
his  persecutions.  Ergo,  the  dog,  like  the  Irishman,  is  a  tease 
and  a  torment.  This  is  a  character,  in  fact,  that  it  seems  im- 
possible for  the  Irishman  to  get  rid  of,  for  when  he  tries  his 
best  to  please  he  is  still  vexatious.  "  What  torments  these 
Irish  servants  are!"  is  frequently  heard  from  those  who  have 
not  been  the  subjects  of  their  satire.  They  are  as  proverbial 
for  their  ridiculous  mistakes  as  for  their  wit,  and  this  is  the 
more  strange  as  it  seems  to  be  a  contradiction  in  character. 
But  it  is  according  to  the  principle,  "They  who  take  the 
sword  shall  perish  by  the  sword,"  and  the  same  is  true  of  the 
French.  These  "Irish  bulls,"  as  they  are  called,  are  not 
from  lack  of  shrewdness,  but  from  a  want  of  instinctiveness 
the  trait  that  is  peculiarly  natural  to  the  French ;  and  it  is  in 
consequence  also  of  that  imperative,  headlong,  impetuous  dis- 
position which  the  bull-dog  has  in  common  with  the  bull,  and 
which  the  Irish  have  in  common  with  the  English.  The  lack 
of  instinctiveness  is  shown  in  the  awkwardness  of  their  mo- 
tions. Their  imitations  of  the  French,  which  are  mere  perver- 
sions of  their  own  characters,  increase  this  opposition  and 
render  it  all  the  more  conspicuous.     They  are  like  beetles  — 

11  Against  the  traveller  borne  in  heedless  hum," 

or  like  the  pumpkin  that  you  can  not 
keep  out  of  your  way,  but  are  always 


264  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

tumbling  over,  bringing  you  into  the  same  blundering,  awk- 
ward condition  with  themselves.  If  the  Irishman  were  not 
distinguished  for  this,  there  could  be  no  food  for  his  wit,  for 
he  could  not  place  you  in  a  ludicrous  position  in  his  own 
mind  without  placing  you  so  externally.  This  is  true  of  all 
persons  who  have  an  extraordinary  sense  of  the  ludicrous.  It 
is  on  this  principle  that  the  French,  who  are  the  fittest  sub- 
jects of  caricature,  are  themselves  the  greatest  caricaturists 
in  the  known  world. 

Among  dogs,  the  commonality,  which  aspire  to  the  condi- 
tion of  toads,  and  to  that  of  frogs  in  stagnant  pools  by  the 
roadside,  love  to  dig  in  the  dirt,  to  roll  in  it,  to  splash  through 
the  mud,  and  esteem  it  a  luxury  to  have  a  pig-pen,  or  a  snug, 
warm  kennel  to  harbor  in.  Among  the  Irish,  the  common- 
ality take  to  dirt-digging  more  naturally  than  to  anything 
else ;  they  are  dirty  in  their  persons,  and  admit  their  pigs  in 
the  mud-cabins  which  they  themselves  occupy.  They  are 
good  servants  if  you  deal  harshly  with  them,  as  a  master  does 
with  his  dog ;  but  the  moment  you  are  disposed  to  be  famil- 
iar with  them  they  are  all  over  you,  jumping  against  you,  and 
laying  their  dirty  paws  upon  your  clean  clothes,  as  if  you 
were  no  better  than  they.  You  are  loved  by  them  quite  as 
well,  and  they  are  quite  as  happy,  if  you  teach  them  good 
manners  :  but  the  true  way  to  restore  to  them  that  sensibility, 
delicacy,  sense  of  propriety,  tender  affection,  and  exquisite 
susceptibility  of  enjoyment,  which  is  their  rightful  inheritance 
from. their  ancestors,  is,  to  treat  them  as  if  they  were  possessed 
of  these  qualities,  and  thereby  to  set  them  the  example.  The 
man  who  wounds  the  feelings  of  his  dog,  will  soon  have  a  dog 
as  hard  and  ungenerous  as  himself;  but  the  man  who  treats 
his  dog  as  he  should,  will  have  a  faithful  servant,  who  will 
say,  "  Go  on,  master,  I  will  follow  thee  to  the  last  gasp,  with 
truth  and  loyalty." 


THE  DOG. 


265 


CHAPTEE   XXXII 


"  Arrah  !  come  on,  now !  I  'm  ready  for  ye !"  is  as  plainly 
expressed  in  the  attitude  of  this  Irishman  as  in  that  of  the 
dog,  and  it  is  perfectly  natural  to  both ;  but  the  attitude  indi- 
cates more  the  posture  of  affairs  in- 
side than   is   expressed   in  words: 
there  is  a  provisional  clause  in  the 
defiance,  which,  if  it  were  written, 
would  read  thus  —  "if  you  are  not 
too  strong  for  me !"     The  cowardly 
disposition  exhibited  in  the  manner 
of  looking,  of  standing,  and  of  grasp- 
ing the  shelalah,  is  not  to  be  mista- 


ken ;  and  it  is  in  the  attempt  to  look  and  to  feel  courageous 
that  it  is  most  betrayed.  If  Paddy  were  not  a  coward,  he 
would  not  arm  himself  with  a  club  as  a  preparation  for  a  suc- 
cessful resistance,  much  less  would  he  use  this  cruel  instru- 
ment to  attack  with.  Cowardice  and  cruelty  are  inseparable, 
and  the  proof  of  the  one  is  proof  of  the  other.  The  cause 
which  operates  to  produce  these  two  traits,  as  explained  in 
the  chapter  concerning  the  vulture,  is  brought  to  bear  power- 
fully upon  the  Irishman,  who  drinks  to  drive  away  the  feeling 


266 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


that  lie  is  a  coward  ;  then  to  screw  up  his  courage  to  the  point 
of  defending  himself;  then  to  make  him  pitiless,  abusive  to 
his  friends,  cruel  and  desperate;  then  to  drive  him  to  mad- 
ness, and  to  fancy  himself  rich,  generous,  and  lordly,  as  he 
has  the  inclination  to  be;  then  to  shut  out  the  phantoms  of 
wretchedness  from  his  sight,  and  to  drown  himself  in  obliv- 
ion ;  and  finally  to  struggle  feebly  against  the  ghastly  messen- 
gers that  come  to  torment  him  in  the  hour  of  dissolution. 

As  the  dog  has  a  predisposition  to  be  fond  of  carrion,  and 
has  a  large  chest  for  the  exhalation  of  carbonic  acid  gas,  it 
is  natural  that  the  Irishman  should  have  a  leaning  to  ferment- 
ed liquor,  and  that  his  chest  should  be  large,  enabling  him  to 
dispose  of  a  great  quantity  of  excrementitious  gases  by  exha- 
lation, and  thus  adapting  him  to  the  evil  habit  he  is  inclined 
to.  Under  these  circumstances,  if  the  Irishman  is  temperate, 
it  is  a  rare  virtue.  His  countenance  expresses  the  greatest 
possible  degree  of  sobriety,  which  betokens  a  trustworthy 
character,  in  which  is  included  courage,  prudence,  honesty, 
faithfulness,  integrity,  and  nobleness.     If  in  this  portrait  of  an 

honest  dog  there  is  not  some- 
thing sufficiently  human  to  de- 
serve all  this,  there  is  at  least 
perfect  sobriety,  and  a  resem- 
blance to  a  true-hearted  and 
honorable  gentleman.    Gentle- 


ness is  a  virtue ;  and  the  dog,  if  he  be  well  bred,  is  a  gentle- 
man, because  he  is  naturally  rude ;  while  the  cat,  being  natu- 


THE   DOG.  267 

rally  quiet,  can  not  have  the  virtue  of  gentility  ascribed  to 
her.  The  least  degree  of  intemperance  is  a  breach  of  polite- 
ness ;  it  is  synonymous  with  rudeness  ;  while  sobriety  includes 
all  those  qualities  that  are  ascribed  to  people  of  the  most  pol- 
ished and  refined  manners.  The  dog  represented  on  the  pre- 
ceding page  is  a  Scotch  terrier.  You  can  see  in  his  counte- 
nance undaunted  bravery,  and  a  sturdy  opposition  to  all 
sneaking  and  meanness,  to  all  cruelty  and  cowardice,  and  to 
all  seeking  after  fermented  liquors  and  fermented  food  —  to 
all  the  traits  which  are  manifested  in  the  rat,  and  of  which 
he  has  none.  He  hates  the  rat,  as  a  thing  engendered  in 
filth,  which  he  despises,  and  as  possessing  traits  the  very  op- 
posite of  faithfulness  and  courage  ;  and  hence  he  kills  the  rat, 
but  does  not  eat  it;  he  is  intent  upon  its  destruction,  but  has 
the  strongest  aversion  to  devouring  it.  He  is  not  cruel :  he 
does  not  tease  people,  nor  bark  and  bite,  and  worry  poor  ani- 
mals. He  is  not  cowardly :  he  is  never  seen  cowering,  or 
dodging,  or  skulking,  or  sneaking  along  the  gutters,  looking 
out  for  garbage  with  one  eye  and  for  clubs  and  brickbats  with 
the  other.  He  is  intent  upon  reform ;  upon  cleansing  the 
sewers ;  upon  saving  grain  and  other  provisions  from  rats, 
which  are  the  emissaries  of  Fermentation  and  the  imps  of 
Drunkenness.  He  bears  a  resemblance  to  Father  Mathew 
in  character  and  physiognomy,  in  all  the  qualities  enumerated 
above,  in  the  features,  and  particularly  in  the  expression,  as 
Father  Mathew  bears  a  resemblance  to  Fenelon.  The  like- 
ness between  these  two  noble  catholic  priests  is  indicated  in 
the  countenance,  in  the  signs  of  benevolence,  disinterested- 
ness, courage,  magnanimity,  purity,  virtue,  refinement,  gen- 
tleness, and  internal  peace,  breathing  "  peace  on  earth  and 
good-will  to  man." 

It  is  perceived  from  these  examples,  and  from  e very-day 
observation,  that  sobriety  is  an  essential  quality  of  the  gentle- 
man, and  that  the  least  degree  of  intemperance  is  ungentle- 
manly  ;  yet  conviviality  is  essential  to  sobriety,  and  insepara- 
ble from  gentility,  just  as  imagination  is  essential  to  reason, 
and  is  inseparable  from  refinement  and  intelligence.  Con- 
viviality keeps  company  with  nobility  and  courage.    No  truly 


268  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

brave  person  ever  lived  who  was  not  convivial.  Father 
Mathew  is  eminently  so,  and  it  is  not  at  all  inconsistent  with 
his  gravity,  his  earnestness  and  zeal ;  and  who  can  look  at  the 
face  of  Fenelon  and  not  say  that  it  is  true  of  him?  In  the 
countenance  of  that  terrier,  too,  there  is  conviviality :  how 
bright  and  sparkling,  and  yet  how  gravely  earnest !  Earnest- 
ness is  the  silken  tie  that  unites  these  two  apparently  opposite 
traits  together.  A  man  to  be  convivial  must  be  in  earnest, 
he  must  have  life  about  him,  and  he  must  be  in  "  sober  ear- 
nest" in  order  to  be  sober.  The  sober  man,  therefore,  who 
does  not  labor  to  destroy  intemperance,  and  to  promote  so- 
briety, as  the  terrier  does,  is  but  a  sober  thing,  the  principal 
attribute  of  which  is  inertia ;  he  is  doomed  to  be  a  numbskull, 
in  the  degree  that  he  is  insensible  in  heart  to  the  emotion  of 
philanthropy,  which  is  convivial. 

Nature  has  provided  for  this  conviviality  most  beautifully, 
and  it  is  the  perversion  of  her  admirable  provision  that  con- 
stitutes drunkenness.  She  has  formed  the  patterns  from  which 
wineglasses  and  goblets  of  every  description  are  derived  ;  and 
she  has  formed  the  nectar,  in  cups  of  her  own,  from  which 
wines,  cordials,  and  intoxicating  liquors  of  every  variety,  are 
concocted  and  brought  into  existence.  She  is  counterfeited 
with  such  skill,  that  people  fancy  they  are  sipping  nectar,  like 
the  bee,  when  they  are  quaffing  poison ;  that  they  are  making 
themselves  brave,  when  they  are  making  themselves  cowardly ; 
that  they  are  growing  convivial,  when  they  are  growing  riot- 
ous ;  that  they  are  acting  the  part  of  gentlemen,  when  they 
are  acting  the  part  of  vagabonds ;  that  they  are  promoting 
cheerfulness,  when  they  are  promoting  gloom ;  that  they  are 
improving  their  wit,  when  they  are  becoming  foolish  and  in- 
sane ;  that  they  are  ministering  to  health,  when  they  are  pay- 
ing tribute  to  disease ;  that  they  are  giving  themselves  free- 
dom and  the  love  of  independence,  when  they  are  making 
themselves  miserably  servile ;  that  they  are,  in  fine,  doing  ev- 
erything right,  when  they  are  doing  everything  wrong.  To 
such  perversions  does  the  counterfeiting  of  Nature's  benefi- 
cent provision,  and  the  perversion  of  conviviality,  lead  !  Con- 
viviality, companion  of  all  graces  and  human  excellences, 


THE   DOG. 


269 


how  beautiful  thou  art !  Welcome  art  thou  at  the  fireside,  at 
the  social  board,  if  there  is  moral  courage,  truth,  and  honesty, 
enough  to  preclude  and  expel  the  base  hypocrite  who  has 
counterfeited  thy  likeness !  welcome  art  thou  at "  the  feast  of 
reason  and  the  flow  of  soul,"  and  at  the  home  of  peace,  virtue, 
and  domestic  affection ! 

But  what  shall  we  say  of  sobriety  that  is  the  result  of  self- 
ishness? There  are  those  who  desire  to  prolong  life,  and  to 
escape  suffering  and  disease,  whether  others  fall  victims  to 
intemperance  or  not.  The  want  of  benevolence  in  such  peo- 
ple shows  itself  in  the  want  of  conviviality.  Life  with  them 
is  such  a  life  as  cold-blooded  animals  enjoy.  In  their  tem- 
perance they  are  not  much  better  than  vegetables,  and  make 
an  approach  to  stocks  and  stones.  The  truth  of  this  observa- 
tion is  better  exhibited  in  these  two  heads,  the  one  of  an 
Irishman  and  the  other  of  a  terrier,  than  can  be  expressed  in 

words.  The  first  is  some- 
what exaggerated,  but  the 
latter  is  true  to  life.     There 


:^V^ 


is  no  vivacity  in  either,  no  conviviality,  but  dullness  and  stu- 
pidity. The  unmitigated  sobriety  of  both  countenances  is 
easily  perceived.  There  is  more  of  interest,  of  warmth,  of 
gentlemanliness,  in  the  face  of  an  Irishman  who  makes  him- 
self merry  over  his  cups,  than  in  this  of  one  who  takes  the 
pledge  because  he  has  no  disposition  to  break  it.  It  is  as  if 
this  dog  should  pledge  himself  to  his  master  in  a  wink  of  the 
eye  that  he  would  never  taste  of  a  rat,  having  become  too  old 
and  sober,  if  not  too  lazy,  to  catch  one. 


270  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

Virtuous  sobriety  manifests  itself  in  the  temperate  use  of 
the  beverages  which  Nature  herself  has  provided.  What 
preparation,  earnestness,  delicacy,  boldness,  and  precision, 
are  manifested  in  the  humming-bird,  as  he  hovers  about  a 
flower,  and  passes  his  slender  bill  into  the  cup  that  contains 
the  pure  spirit  which  so  enlivens  and  thrills  him !  The  con- 
viviality which  belongs  to  true  sobriety,  or  to  temperance,  cor- 
responds to  the  revelry  of  a  bee  in  the  heart  of  a  flower,  and 
to  the  antics  of  a  humming-bird  as  he  approaches  a  blossom, 
and  threads  the  honey-cup  with  his  bill  in  search  of  the  nectar 
that  delights  him. 

But  each  stage  of  fermentation,  as  to  the  appetite  that  de- 
mands it,  is  a  stage  in  the  down-hill  course  of  deception  and 
mockery,  of  cowardice,  cruelty,  and  degradation.  The  sac- 
charine fermentation  is  a  perversion  of  the  secretion  in  flow- 
ers that  produces  honey ;  and,  corresponding  with  this,  cow- 
ardice is  the  perversion  of  caution,  and  cruelty  is  the  perver- 
sion of  courage.  All  animals  that  live  on  honey,  or  are  very 
fond  of  it,  are  remarkable  for  courage,  and  also  for  careful- 
ness, which  is  another  name  for  caution,  as,  for  example,  the 
bee,  the  humming-bird,  and  the  bear;  but  animals  that  are  in 
the  way  of  eating  sugar  instead  of  honey,  and  seem  to  prefer 
it,  are  deficient  in  those  qualities,  as,  for  example,  the  house- 
fly, the  ant  that  lives  in  the  sugar-bowl,  and  not  un frequently 
the  wasp,  besides  which  we  may  mention  children  that  live 
on  cakes  and  confectionery,  and  people  who  are  very  fond  of 
sweetmeats  and  preserves.  The  red  Americans  made  sugar 
from  the  maple,  and  the  white  ones  manufacture  it  very  ex- 
tensively from  the  cane,  and  use  it,  too,  as  a  substitute  for 
honey,  which  their  resemblance  to  the  bear  includes  a  partic- 
ular love  for;  and  this  appetite  for  "sugar"  (as  if  one  species 
of  saccharine  matter  were  as  good  as  another)  indicates  a 
difficulty  of  feeling  the  distinction  between  courage  and  cru- 
elty, and  between  caution  and  cowardice. 

The  use  of  sugar  is  the  stepping-stone  to  intemperance.  The 
appetite  grows  upon  a  man  by  indulgence,  and  seizes  him  pe- 
riodically like  the  propensity  for  strong  drink,  so  that  he  is 
finally  made  aware  that  his  condition  is  like  that  of  the 


THE    DOG.  271 

drunkard.  He  requires  larger  and  still  larger  potations  of 
sugar  to  satisfy  him;  he  resolves  against  the  intemperate  use 
of  it,  and  re-resolves,  but  he  can  not  see  and  resist  the  tempta- 
tion ;  and  when  the  appetite  comes  upon  him,  like  that  of  the 
drunkard  for  his  cups,  he  wanders  and  almost  rushes  in  search 
of  it,  and  goes  from  one  candy-shop  to  another  as  the  toper 
goes  from  one  coffeehouse  to  another  to  satisfy  himself  with 
drams.  This  is  no  fancy  sketch,  but  is  taken  from  life.  The 
appetite  for  the  result  of  the  saccharine  fermentation  is  like 
that  for  the  result  of  the  vinous ;  but  with  the  appetite  for 
honey  or  for  any  wholesome  article  of  diet,  unperverted  by 
the  use  of  sugar  or  intoxicating  drinks,  it  is  not  so. 

Yet  the  deterioration  connected  with  the  first  degree  of 
fermentation  is  very  slight  compared  with  that  which  is  con- 
nected with  the  second,  and  would  be  hardly  worth  mention- 
ing if  it  did  not  lead  to  the  latter.  When  the  craving  for 
sugar  refuses  to  be  satisfied,  and  when  the  anxiety  of  the  ap- 
petite demands  relief,  there  is  a  feeling  that  strong  drink 
would  be  good ;  but  it  is  the  sugar  that  renders  brandy,  gin, 
and  toddy,  palatable  in  the  first  place :  nevertheless,  when 
the  mixture  and  the  second  degree  in  artificial  courage  are 
taken,  those  articles  are  loved  raw.  Of  the  cowardice  con- 
nected with  drunkenness,  we  have  abundant  examples  in  the 
Irish ;  and  as  the  appetite  for  alcohol  is  a  greater  perversion 
in  those  who  resemble  bears  than  in  others,  the  Americans, 
both  the  Indians  and  the  whites,  when  they  take  to  drink,  are 
the  greatest  drunkards  in  the  world.  The  bear  is  by  nature 
courageous  in  the  extreme,  and  is  in  no  need  of  having  his 
courage  stimulated  ;  he  wrestles  and  fights  hand  to  hand,  and 
cuffs  with  his  paws  like  a  man  with  his  fists,  and  will  prey 
upon  nothing  that  has  not  come  to  its  death  by  his  own  hands  ; 
and  for  him  to  touch  fermentation  would  be  a  much  greater 
perversion  than  for  the  dog,  that  is  inclined  to  it.  Hence  the 
Irishman  is  excused  for  being  a  drunkard,  but  the  Yankee 
never. 

If  you  are  going  to  excuse  anybody  for  indulging  in  intoxi- 
cation, it  will  be  one  who  feels  under  the  influence  of  it  as 
does  the  Irishman  who  is  represented  on  the  following  page. 


272 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


His  combined  gestures  are  an  imitation  of  the  humming-bird 
over  the  honey-cup.     Yet  it  would  be  hard-hearted  to  indulge 

a  feeling  of  gratification  at 
seeing  him  so  merry  with- 
out cause,  especially  when 
we  reflect  that  "  wounds 
and  bruises  without  cause" 
are  sure  to  follow.  The  so- 
ber, second  thought  refuses 
to  be  gratified  at  the  exhi- 
bition of  a  tragic  farce.  The 
contagion  of  this  poor  fel- 
low's intoxication  is  worse 
than  the  original  disease. 
The  man  who  deals  out  in- 
toxicating drinks,  but  ab- 
stains from  them  himself, 
reaps  his  enjoyments  from 
the  fictitious  enjoyments  of 
others,  and  intoxicates  his 
own  mind  in  the  degree 
that  he  intoxicates  the  bodies  of  his  victims.  This  is  a  species 
of  intoxication  as  much  worse  than  the  other  as  the  soul  is 
superior  to  the  body.  The  preceding  gentleman  would  never 
be  engaged  in  so  mean  an  employment  as  keeping  a  drinking- 
house :  he  would  not  steal  the  pleasure  and  the  profit,  and 
leave  the  penalty  to  another.  On  the  next  page  is  a  dog  that 
looks  as  if  he  would  like  to  join  him  in  his  gambols ;  and  the 
resemblance  between  them  shows  that  they  would  be  fond  of 
each  other's  society.  He  is  a  drover's  dog,  and  may  meet 
this  gentleman  at  a  country  inn.  The  character  of  his  busi- 
ness is  such,  that  he  must  from  necessity  be  unfeeling  and 
cruel,  though  you  can  see  by  his  good-natured  countenance 
that  it  is  superinduced,  as  it  is  in  the  man ;  it  is  not  so  much 
his  fault  as  the  fault  of  circumstances.  He  has  a  sense  of 
duty,  in  spite  of  his  perversions,  and  is  governed  by  that ;  so 
that  his  conscience  does  not  trouble  him,  the  responsibility 
being  laid  off  upon  his  master,  whose  mandates  he  obeys ;  his 


THE   DOG. 


273 


master,  by-the-by,  will  have  a  great  deal  to  answer  for !  This 
same  dog  resembles  the  paddy  given  below,  and  the  animal 
characteristics  are  the  same  in  both.  To  a  face  like  this 
what  could  be  more  be- 
coming than  a  pipe  ? 
When  the  dog  is  made 
to  "  sit  up,"  a  short  pipe 
is  sometimes  facetious- 
ly placed  in  the  corner 
of  his  mouth  to  height- 
en his  resemblance  to 
an  Irishman — of  which 
resemblance  there  ap- 
pears to  be  an  intuitive 
perception  in  the  mind 
of  the  operator. 

After  the  vinous  fer- 
mentation, comes  the 
acetous,  and  with  it  a  degree  of  cowardice  and  cruelty  greater 
than  the  last.  When  a  man's  temper  gets  thoroughly  spoiled 
by  intemperance,  he  has  passed  the  stage  in  which  pure  whis- 
key is  grateful  to  him ;  he  fairly  loathes  the  taste  of  it,  and 
drinks  it  only  to  allay  trembling  and  the  fear  of  death,  and 
to  give  him  courage  to  live  on.  The  spirit  that  he  has  steeped 
himself  in  has  turned  to  vinegar,  and  his  taste  is  for  that 

18 


274 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


which  gives  him  more  cowardice  than  courage.  Wretched  man ! 
he  no  longer  drinks  liquor,  but  swills  it,  and  swill  is  sour :  the 
vilest  liquor  of  the  still  is  nearer  to  his  taste  than  that  he  once 
approved,  and  now  vinegar  is  his  taste,  and  his  need  of  alco- 
hol the  same  as  before.  If  hard  cider  or  vinegar  would  sup- 
port his  nerves,  he  might  still  fancy  himself  in  Elysium ;  but 
his  nervous  sensibilities  are  sharpened,  his  teeth  are  set  on 
edge,  he  is  tortured  with  dreadful  apprehensions,  and  makes 
a  slimpsy  show  of  a  gentleman  ;  he  is  all  unstrung,  he  can 
scarcely  hold  himself  together;  his  endeavor  to  pluck  up 
courage  turns  into  a  plea  for  mercy  ;  he  is  fain  to  fawn,  to  beg 
for  quarter,  and  to  have  a  dog  for  his  mas- 
ter. He  has  nothing  but  his  dependence 
and  misery  to  rely  upon.  He  has  nothing 
of  the  gentleman  left  to  him,  except  the 
court-dress  (if  he  be  an  Irishman),  and  this 
serves  to  make  him  contemptible  by  the 
contrast  of  what  he  is  with  what  he  should 
be.  Observe  how  truly  Nature  intended  the 
Irish  to  be  gentlemen,  lords,  and  nobles, 
in  the  fact  that  the  poorest  of  them  who 
come  fresh  to  this  country  make  their  ap- 
pearance in  court-costume ! 


We  have  heard  it  said  that  drinking  hard  cider  makes  a 
man  more  cross  and  crabbed  than  drinking  rum.  We  doubt 
not  but  that  it  is  so.  A  crabbed  disposition  is  a  miserably 
cowardly  one :  the  man  who  owns  such  a  trait  is  cruel  with- 
out courage:  he  can  not  delude  himself  for  a  moment  into 
the  idea  that  he  is  brave,  or  has  the  least  particle  of  heroism. 
The  same  is  the  case  with  the  person  who  is  addicted  to  the 


THE   DOG.  275 

use  of  vinegar,  which,  like  the  use  of  sugar,  induces  all  the 
symptoms  of  intemperance,  with  the  exception  of  intoxication. 
The  individual  can  not  deny  that  he  is  a  coward,  and  he  is 
not  ashamed  to  own  it,  but  makes  it  a  plea  for  a  thousand 
indulgences.  He  likes  others  to  feel  his  alarm,  and  all  the 
consequences  of  his  cowardly  apprehension,  and  to  be  gov- 
erned by  fear  as  he  is ;  and  therefore  even  in  his  benevolence 
he  is  cruel,  and  in  his  morality  he  is  a  hard  master,  as  he 
conceives  God  to  be.  In  his  goodness  to  others,  and  in  his 
religion,  he  is  a  "  hired  servant."  His  reverence  and  humility 
are  such  as  his  evil  appetite  in  exciting  cowardice  and  cruelty 
will  allow  them  to  be.  He  feels  as  if  something  is  not  right, 
as  the  drunkard  often  feels,  and  as  if  he  would  dare  to  be 
told  of  his  faults  by  one  who  is  blind  and  can  not  see  them; 
but  the  truth  is,  he  can  not  bear  to  be  told  of  a  single  one. 
He  has  not  the  courage  to  look  upon  it ;  it  would  frighten 
him  to  death ;  and  therefore  to  set  it  forth  would  be  an  un- 
pardonable offence.  He  hates  the  person  he  is  afraid  of,  but 
quails  at  the  sight  of  him,  and  wishes  to  appear  his  friend. 

The  dogs  that  bear  a  resemblance  to  the  class  of  persons 
of  whom  this  is  a  description  are  of  the  sheepish  variety,  and 
are  allied  to  wolves.  Cruelty  requires  to  be  gratified,  and 
they  have  a  feeling  that,  inasmuch  as  they  look  for  it  to  be 
practised  upon  themselves,  they  ought  not  be  disappointed  in 
the  apprehension  ;  but  they  have  not  the  courage  to  face  their 
masters,  and  to  confess  their  crimes.  The  favor  which  they 
show  to  cruelty  they  exhibit  in  making  an  attack  upon  sheep, 
and  this  for  the  reason  that  sheep  are  their  oldest  and  most 
innocent  companions.  They  can  fancy  that  in  the  sufferings 
of  sheep  their  own  crimes  are  expiated,  and  that  they  suffer 
punishment  by  proxy !  They  practise  this  species  of  decep- 
tion upon  themselves  for  the  reason  that  they  are  cowards ; 
and  for  their  success  in  making  capital  out  of  nothing  they 
rely  upon  the  gullibility  of  others.  They  are  "sly  dogs,"  for 
the  simple  reason  that  cowardice  leads  to  prevarication  and 
falsehood,  and  that  cruelty  is  not  gratified  in  any  way  so  com- 
pletely as  by  stratagem.  Who  can  not  see  the  unfeeling  cru- 
elty and  the  cowardice  in  the  eyes  of  the  individual  whom 


276 


COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 


we  have  represented  above,  to  be  compared  with  those  of 
the  wolf?  —  also  the  dishonesty  that  in  the  countenances  of 
both  is  too  intense  for  words  ?  The  "  wolf's  clothing"  is  more 
conspicuous  in  the  man  —  in  the  crape  on  his  hat,  and  in  the 
entire  face  —  than  in  the  wolf;  but  what  a  villain  is  the  latter, 

that  stands  there  to  give  counte- 
nance to  the  proceedings  !  You 
might  be  hoodwinked  so  thoroughly 
by  that  man  as  not  to  know  that  he 
is  a  coward ;  but  imagine  a  person 
taking  him  by  the  collar,  and  you 
can  see  that  he  will  endeavor  to 
slink  away,  will  beg  to  be  let  go, 
and  will  promise  solemnly  to  be  seen 
in  those  parts  no  more ! 


THE   DOG. 


277 


The  taste  acquired  for  the  vinous  fermentation  leads  to 
the  putrefactive.  Following  the  stage  of  drunkenness  last 
described  is  that  in  which  the  fluids  of  the  body  are  on  the 
eve  of  losing  their  vitality,  in  which  the  breath  is  already 
putrid,  and  in  which  the  body  itself  has  been  known  to  un- 
dergo decomposition,  called  in  this  case  "  spontaneous  com- 
bustion." The  man  whose  vitality  holds  out  to  this  stage  of 
drunkenness  has  scarcely  anything  left  of  a  soul  but  suspicion 
and  cowardice.  His  voice  is  sepulchral,  and  warns  us  not  to 
get  within  the  sphere  of  the  breath  that  accompanies  it.  The 
appetite  accepts  of  food  that  is  half  rotten,  and  the  degree  of 
suspicion  and  cowardice  is  equal  to  that  of  the  crow.  Death 
stares  him  in  the  face,  but  does  not  stare  him  out  of  counte- 
nance, for  the  Death  that  he  sees  is  a  reflection  of  himself. 
He  puts  on  the  appearance  of  the  grim  monster  perfectly. 

"  Hark,  from  the  tombs  a  doleful  sound  !" 

is  a  voice  from  his  own  breast,  the  breath  from  which  is  fetid, 
showing  that  he  is  "  full  of  dead  men's  bones,  and  all  unclean- 

ness."  He  looks  as  though  he 
were  frightened  out  of  his  seven 
senses,  and  no  wonder :  he  does 


not  see  that  it  is  himself  that  he  is  afraid  of;  it  were  well  if 
he  did  ;  but  that  it  is  himself  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  he 
looks  all  the  dreadful  things  that  he  sees.  He  is  himself  the 
monster  that  is  to  be  dreaded.  He  is  cruel,  hard,  unmerci- 
ful, like  the  dog  beside  him  —  an  animal  that  ought  to  be 
shot  for  his  own  good  and  for  the  safety  of  others.  Is  this 
cruel  ?    We  do  not  say  it  of  the  man,  but  of  the  dog,  the  very 


278  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

embodiment  of  a  thirst  for  blood.  It  is  only  in  France  that 
the  dog  can  be  perverted  to  the  degree  that  may  be  called 
infernal,  and  even  there  it  is  only  in  the  employ  of  a  butcher 
and  in  the  atmosphere  of  a  slaughter-house  that  a  dog  can  be 
made  as  this  one  is.  The  man,  too,  who  is  evidently  an  Irish- 
man, has  undergone  a  metamorphosis  that  gives  him  a  resem- 
blance to  the  Frenchman,  and  also  to  the  frog.  It  is  natural 
to  the  French  to  be  fond  of  tainted  meat  and  of  fermented 
drink,  but  it  is  less  natural  to  the  Irish ;  and  for  these  to  at- 
tain to  the  appetite  for  carrion  is  to  become  exceedingly  per- 
verted. You  can  see  by  this  man's  countenance  that  putrid 
meat  can  go  into  his  mouth  as  well  as  not.  But  anything 
fresh  would  go  in  with  reluctance ;  even  whiskey  is  not  easily 
swallowed.  Imagine  a  man  with  the  hydrophobia  compelled 
to  drink  water,  and  you  have  an  idea  of  the  wretched  condi- 
tion of  the  man  who  has  carried  drunkenness  to  the  last 
degree. 

But  "  iniquity  will  have  an  end."  The  man  who  is  not  al- 
ready dead  can  be  redeemed  from  intemperance  even  in  the 
last  degree.  He  will  be  a  different  person  from  what  he 
would  have  been  if  he  had  never  become  intemperate,  but  he 
will  be  reckoned  among  the  sober,  and  an  honorable  position 
will  be  assigned  him.  The  difference  between  him  and  the 
person  who  has  never  perverted  himself  will  be  as  the  differ- 
ence between  the  humble-bee  and  the  humming-bird.  The 
one  will  have  a  rioting,  rollicking,  savage,  ungentlemanly  way 
with  him,  while  the  other  will  be  a  perfect  gentleman  in  all 
his  manners.  The  drunkard  on  his  last  legs  may  be  compared 
to  the  blow-fly  when  it  has  come  to  the  degree  of  perfection 
in  the  fondness  for  carrion,  at  which  time  it  has  so  strong  a 
resemblance  to  the  humble-bee  as  almost  to  be  mistaken  for 
one.  When  the  drunkard  is  in  the  corresponding  condition, 
it  is  the  time  to  save  him.  It  was  not  known  until  a  few 
years  ago  that  the  "  confirmed  drunkard"  could  be  saved : 
the  "  Washingtonians"  proved  it  to  be  practicable.  We  may 
suppose  with  good  reason  that  the  noble  mastiff  was  derived 
from  a  dog  like  the  preceding ;  and  the  drunkard  when  he  is 
reformed  has  a  mastiff-like  countenance,  the  wild,  furious, 


THE   DOG. 


279 


ferocious  aspect  being  tamed  down  into  dignified  courage  and 
sobriety.  The  savage  traits  which  lie  has  acquired  will  be 
swayed  by  higher  faculties ;  but  in 
spite  of  these  they  will  render  him 
harsh,  and  inclined  to  rend  and  tear, 
and  to  use  his  wit  sarcastically  against 
the  very  vice  that  he  has  been  ad- 
dicted to.  He  can  learn  to  be  mag- 
nanimous, and  even  forgiving,  but  he 
will  never  be  very  amiable.  He  has 
that  kind  of  character  and  physiog- 
nomy that  are  seen  in  the  portrait  of  Ben  Jonson,  and  particu- 
larly in  Irishmen,  most  of  whom  were  born  of  intemperate 
ancestors  —  the  reformed  drunkard  and  the  child  of  a  drunk- 
ard being  alike. 


280  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


CHAPTER   XXXIII. 

By  knowing  what  animal  a  man  resembles,  we  possess  a 
clew  to  his  character  that  may  be  of  great  use  to  us.  "We 
can  judge  of  the  secret  springs  of  his  conduct,  of  those  mo- 
tives of  action  that  have  their  origin  in  nature,  and  that  are 
almost  as  inevitable  in  man  as  they  are  in  the  lower  orders 
of  the  animal  creation.  The  knowledge  of  character  by  the 
signs  in  the  face  will  be  very  materially  assisted  by  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  animal  nature  that  is  made  up  of  a  man's  ruling 
traits.  You  must  understand  what  his  character  is  by  nature 
if  you  would  understand  how  various  rational  and  moral  in- 
fluences would  affect  him ;  and  this  nature  of  his  is  something 
homogeneous,  something  that  is  presented  individually  in 
some  department  or  other  of  the  animal  kingdom.  The  abil- 
ity of  getting  at  this  resemblance  will  improve  by  use.  At 
first  you  do  not  see  that  one  man  in  a  hundred  has  any  re- 
semblance to  any  particular  animal,  but  the  habit  of  study 
and  observation  will  make  it  plain. 

In  this  lady,  for  example,  you  would  not  at  first  sight  dis- 
cover that  she  resembled  a  dove,  but  you  perceive  something 
in  her  that  produces  the  effect  upon  your  feelings  that  you 
experience  in  relation  to  that  bird.  You  may  even  call  her 
"  Dove,"  and  be  as  familiar  with  her  as  lovers  are  with  their 
lady-loves,  and  yet  suppose  that  it  is  a  mere  fancy  that  leads 
you  to  call  her  by  that  endearing  appellation.  But  you  may 
be  sure  she  is  like  the  dove  in  disposition  if  she  is  like  in 
face  and  in  the  sphere  that  she  throws  around  her.  She  has 
the  element,  as  the  basis  of  her  character,  that  is  embodied 
in  that  bird ;  and  it  is  her  ruling  trait,  so  far  as  her  animal 
nature  is  concerned.  And  it  is  very  likely  that  her  moral 
character  will  correspond  to  it :  it  would  be  strange  if  it  did 


THE   DOVE. 


281 


not.  The  moral  and  intellectual  character  has  less  to  con- 
trol in  one  who  resembles  a  dove  than  in  one  who  resembles 
a  lion.  The  signs  of  the  higher  faculties  exhibit,  therefore, 
more  refinement  in  the  one  and  more  strength  in  the  other, 
and  this  places  them  on  a  par  in  respect  to  virtue  and  intelli- 
gence. In  this  character  goodness  finds  a  congenial  soil,  and 
it  is  therefore  luxuriant  but  tender.  In  a  character  that  re- 
sembles the  lion,  goodness  finds  a  rock  to  grapple  and  a  furi- 
ous climate  to  contend  with,  and  it  is  therefore  strong  and 
rigid  like  the  oak. 

There  are,  however,  a  great  variety  of  doves  and  pigeons, 
as  there  are  of  frogs  and  toads,  and  they  constitute  as  great  a 
variety  of  character. 

A  certain  likeness  and  apposition  is  to  be  observed  between 
the  person  who  resembles  a  dove  and  the  one  who  resembles 
a  hen.  The  relation  is  something  like  that  of  octaves  in  mu- 
sic. On  the  following  page  is  the  portrait  of  a  Spaniard  who 
resembles  a  cock.  The  Spaniards  resemble  cocks  as  the 
Irish  resemble  dogs.  Love  of  contest,  and  love  of  triumph, 
and  subserviency,  are  ruling  traits  in  both  characters.  Cock- 
fighting  is  a  passion  with  the  Spaniards,  as  it  is  with  the  cock. 
In  some  of  the  provinces  of  Spain  it  is  the  favorite  game ;  in 
others,  bull-fighting  is  the  favorite  diversion ;  but  contest  in 
some  form  or  other  is  a  passion.  The  Spaniards  and  the  Irish 
are  as  much  like  each  other  in  their  fondness  for  fighting  as 
the  cock  is  like  the  dog.  But  they  differ  in  the  mode.  The 
dog  gives  no  quarter :  the  cock  beats  his  antagonist  and  then 


282 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


runs,  and  the  conquered  party  runs  after  him,  and  in  his  turn 
becomes  the  conqueror.     This  is  the  way  with  the  Spaniards, 

as  exemplified  in  the  contest 
between  Don  Carlos  and  the 
late  regent  Queen  Christina. 


In  bull-fights  it  is  the  same.  There  is  advantage  allowed  to 
both  parties,  though  that  which  is  shown  to  the  bull  is  a  mock- 
ery rather  than  otherwise.  With  the  Irish  it  is  not  so.  They 
fight  like  dogs,  as  if  in  a  contest  with  "  grim  Death,"  to  whom, 
as  they  expect  no  quarter,  they  will  yield  none.  The  Irish 
have  to  be  parted.  Not  so  the  Spaniards :  they  fight  upon 
the  principle  — 

"  That  lie  who  fights  and  runs  away 
May  live  to  fight  another  day  !" 

The  military  ambition  of  the  Spaniard  is  concentrated  in  a 
victorious  contest  with  John  Bull  —  always  was,  and  always 
will  be.  The  rules  of  honor  in  a  bull-fight  are  a  specimen  of 
the  magnanimity  with  which  he  regards  that  formidable 
power  that  it  is  his  glory  to  contend  with. 

One  of  the  most  singular  things  about  the  cock  is  his  crow- 
ing when  he  considers  himself  in  the  long  run  to  have  gained 
the  victory.  Both  crow,  and  the  contest  has  turned  into  one 
of  lungs.  Precisely  so  it  is  with  the  Spaniards.  They  blow 
the  trumpet  of  fame  in  honor  of  a  victory  louder  than  any- 
body else,  and  that  is  saying  a  great  deal.     It  is  all  the  same 


THE    COCK. 


283 


whether  they  anticipate  or  have  gained  the  victory,  or  whether 
they  might  have  gained  it  had  the  circumstances  been  dif- 
ferent. 


Of  the  many  instances  of  the 
confident  boasting  and  triumphant 
exultation  of  the  Spaniards  which 
might  be  given,  we  quote  the  fol- 
lowing "  from  an  ode  by  Luis  de 
Gongora:"  — 

"Raise  thy  renowned  hand, 

0  Spain !  from  French  Pyrenee  to  the  land 
Where  the  Moor  Atlas  lifts  his  mountain  height, 
And  at  the  martial  trumpet's  lofty  sound 
Bid  thou  thy  valiant  offspring  cluster  round 
Beneath  thy  old  victorious  banners,  bright 
In  hardest  adamant,  a  fearful  sight !  — 

Such  that  the  lands  of  languid  power, 
The  nations  leagued  against  thy  faith,  dismayed 

At  the  strong  radiance  of  thy  beamy  arms, 
At  the  fierce  splendor  of  the  falchion-blade, 

With  looks  averted,  in  alarms, 
Shall  turn  at  once  their  eyes  and  backs  for  flight, 
Like  clouds  before  the  deity  of  day ; 
Or  even,  like  yielding  wax,  dissolve  away 
Before  the  luminous  and  golden  fire 
That  from  their  graven  helmets  forth  shall  fly  ; 
As  blind  of  faith,  so  blinded  then  in  eye  !'' 

An  equally  vivid  representation  of  the  cock,  with  his  scar- 
let crown,  his  valiant  look,  his  martial  feathers,  his  savage 
beak,  his  shrill  clarion,  his  solid  spurs,  lifted  with  pride, 
energy,  and  scorn,  would  be  parallel  to  the  above ;  but  he 
has  more  of  defiance  and  victory  in  his  aspect  than  can  be 
expressed  in  words  !     The  young  cock  crows  in  a  strain  like 


284  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

the  following.  (It  is  a  "  poem  written  in  the  character  of  a 
child  ;  a  species  of  playful  composition  popular  among  the 
Spaniards"  at  the  time  of  the  great  "  Armada"  for  the  inva- 
sion of  England  in  1585-'88.)  A  little  girl  is  speaking  to  her 
playfellow,  and  tells  him  — 

"  My  brother  Don  John 
To  England  is  gone, 
To  kilt  the  Drake, 
And  the  queen  to  take, 
And  the  heretics  all  to  destroy  ; 
And  he  will  give  me, 
When  he  comes  back, 
A  Lutheran  boy 
With  a  chain  round  his  neck ; 
And  grandmamma 
From  his  share  shall  have 
A  Lutheran  maid, 
To  be  her  slave  !" 

Thus,  in  the  Spaniard,  is  illustrated  the  proverb  that  "  as 
the  old  cock  crows  so  crows  the  young."  Whether  his  giving 
a  chance  to  the  enemy  is  the  result  of  what  pugilists  call 
"honor,"  or  is  the  result  of  a  desire  to  have  an  excuse  in  case 
of  defeat,  does  not  appear.  It  is  doubtful,  however,  whether 
the  cock  would  think  so  far  as  that.  It  is  more  probably  the 
action  of  his  wonderful  subserviency,  indicated  by  the  wattles 
under  the  jaw.  When  a  fellow-being  is  weak,  this  subservi- 
ency is  prompted  to  help  him ;  and  when  the  antagonist  is 

"  wamble-cropped"  and  beaten, 
the  victor  regards  him  in  the  light 
of  a  hen,  and  instantly  gives  quar- 
ter ;  and  then  being  turned  upon 
when  his  anger  is  at  zero  he  runs, 
and  his  ugly  Xantippe  after  him. 
And  thus  the  fortune  of  the  game 
passes  from  one  hand  to  another. 
The  Spaniards  are  famous  cav- 
aliers. They  were  the  greatest 
knights-errant  in  the  world.  The  cock  is  famous  for  his  gal- 
lantry and  his  chivalrous  bearing,  and  for  his  spirit  in  defend- 


THE    COCK. 


285 


ing  the  females  whose  safety  he  is  responsible  for.  But  in 
spite  of  this,  or  perhaps  on  account  of  it,  he  is  inclined  to  be 
jealous.  He  regards  his  lady-love  as  under  excessive  obliga- 
tions to  him,  and  he  expects  to  be  rewarded  by  the  most  de- 
voted attachment.  If  he  has  delivered  her  from  a  castle,  he 
considers  that  he  has  a  right  to  lock  her  up  in  one ;  he  does 
not  expect,  neither  will  he  allow,  the  least  wandering ;  but 
he  is  apprehensive  that  she  may  be  stolen  from  him,  and 
therefore  he  is  excessively  jealous.     And  it  must  be  confessed 

that  he  has  reason  to  be,  for 
his  neighbors  have  as  much 
gallantry  with  respect  to  im- 
prisoned females  as  he  him- 
self has  !  When  he  fancies 
that  his  treasure  is  in  danger 
of  escaping  him,  he  plucks 
her  by  the  head,  and  having 
done  it  once  he  is  sure  to 
need  to  do  it  twice  ;  and  thus 
his  true  gallantry  particle  by 
particle  escapes  from  him,  and  he  becomes  a  petty  despot. 
His  gallantry  takes  a  wider  range ;  it  shows  itself  in  a  bad 
sense  :  his  business  is 
to  deliver  ladies  from 
their  cruel  lords,  and 
he  finds  that  he  has 
a  plenty  of  it  to  do, 
and  that  the  females 
whom  he  is  inclined 
to  take  under  his  pro- 
tection are  very  nu- 
merous. Of  course, 
he  is  aware  that  the 
same  disposition  ex- 
ists in  his  neighbors, 
and  that  they  will 
look  upon  him,  and 
justly  too,  as  one  of 


. 


-^ 


286  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

the  cruel  lords  who  holds  one  or  more  of  the  fair  sex  in  con- 
finement. If  under  these  circumstances  he  can  catch  one  of 
them  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  domains,  he  is  sure  to  chas- 
tise him,  if  he  is  able  to,  and  for  this  he  claims  the  merit  of  a 
chivalrous  action.  Such  a  chance  to  display  his  gallantry  is 
a  rare  fortune,  and  he  sounds  aloud  his  exploits  in  the  ears 
of  his  greatly-obliged  and  admiring  hens,  with  his  face  toward 
home,  and  on  his  march  thither.  In  other  words,  and  placing 
it  in  the  past — 

44  Gayly  the  troubadour  touched  his  guitar 
As  he  was  hastening  home  from  the  war, 
Singing,  4  From  Palestine  hither  I  come, 
Lady-love,  lady-love,  welcome  me  home  !'  " 

Only  for  the  knight-errantry  of  the  Spaniards,  some  few  of 
their  number  would  have  more  wives  than  the  sultan. 

As  Spaniards  of  the  best  quality  are  produced  in  Spain, 
the  cocks  that  are  produced  there  are  of  better  quality  than 
those  of  any  other  country.  The  Spanish  cock  is  superior 
game,  but  its  highest  excellence  consists  in  the  quality  of  its 
flesh,  which  is  said  to  be  superior  to  that  of  any  other  of  its 
kind.  It  is  to  be  expected  that  the  country  that  is  best  for 
the  cock  should  favor  a  likeness  to  that  animal  in  man,  and 
should  develop  national  characteristics  founded  in  that  resem- 
blance. The  same  principle  holds  true  with  regard  to  the  ox, 
the  hog,  the  bear,  the  goose,  the  swan,  the  frog,  the  dog,  and 
we  believe  with  regard  to  all  the  other  animals  that  have  been 
mentioned.  The  people  who  resemble  a  particular  animal 
naturally  prefer  the  country  that  is  suited  to  that  animal,  but 
do  not  always  live  there  ;  and  as  it  is  the  animal  that  becomes 
suited  to  the  country,  and  not  the  country  to  the  animal,  we 
may  suppose  that  it  is  the  man  that  becomes  suited  to  the 
animal,  and  not  the  animal  to  the  man. 


THE    GOAT. 


287 


CHAPTEE   XXXIY. 

Among  the  variety  of  human  faces  a  resemblance  to  the 
goat  is  very  frequently  to  be  met  with.  This  resemblance  is 
plainly  discoverable  in  the  face  of  Sforza ;  and  the  prominent 
traits  in  the  character  of  the  goat  are  easily  traced  in  his. 


Large  combative  faculties,  energy,  perseverance,  and  precis- 
ion, are  discoverable  at  a  single  glance.  In  the  man  who  re- 
sembles the  goat,  the  most  prominent  traits  are  indicated  in 
the  most  prominent  part  of  the  countenance.  In  these  two 
profiles  the  ridge  of  the  nose  is  distinguished  for  something 
more  than  prominence  and  convexity :  it  has  a  peculiarity  of 
its  own,  indicating  a  manner  of  exercising  the  combative  fac- 
ulties that  may  be  called  dogmatic.  Pugilism  in  a  nose  like 
this  takes  a  particular  direction  :  the  bent  of  the  reasoning 
faculties  is  indicated  in  a  certain  bend  of  the  nose,  which  fur- 
nishes a  sort  of  channel  for  dispute  and  polemical  controversy. 
The  "  doctors  and  lawyers"  of  the  olden  time  are  represented 
always  with  features  iike  these ;  and  because  the  representa- 


288  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

tions  are  thus  true  to  life,  they  seem  like  portraits.  In  such 
noses  and  in  such  a  form  of  the  ridge  of  the  eyebrow  as  the 
preceding,  there  are  elastic  energy  and  activity,  and  a  strength 
that  overcomes  resistance.  Such  heads  are  formed  not,  only 
for  striking  with  great  force,  but  for  pushing ;  they  present  a 
hard  front  to  whatever  obstacles  stand  in  the  way,  and  are 
ever  upon  the  lookout  for  a  challenge,  and  ready  to  receive 
one.  They  join  battle  with  canons  and  creeds  rather  than 
with  windmills  and  inoffensive  sheep;  yet  they  reflect  upon 
themselves,  for  all  their  labor  and  warfare  is  to  show  that 
what  they  are  fighting  with  is  a  man  of  straw. 

In  proof  of  the  correctness  of  these  remarks,  we  would  refer 
the  reader  to  the  portraits  of  distinguished  controversialists, 
such  as  Calvin  and  John  Knox.  The  age  of  chivalry  abound- 
ed with  such ;  and  it  should  be  observed  here  that  they  are 
similar  in  many  respects  to  those  who  resemble  cocks.  The 
difference  between  them  is  that  which  exists  between  chivalry 
and  the  crusades.  In  nothing,  but  in  what  might  be  called 
the  crusades  of  the  Jews  (for  example,  in  driving  out  the  Ca- 
naanites,  Hivites,  Hittites,  Jebusites,  Philistines,  &c),  could 
the  goatish  propensity  be  more  strongly  exhibited  than  in  a 
crusade  to  the  Holy  Land :  this  was  the  result,  not  only  of 
the  goatish  action  of  the  combative  faculties,  but  of  a  likeness 
to  the  Jews,  and  of  a  liking  for  Judea,  and  for  whatever  the 
Jews  were  particularly  fond  of;  for  the  Jews  have  a  striking 
resemblance  to  the  goat,  as  will  be  shown  in  the  sequel.  Un- 
der the  influence  of  religious  enthusiasm  they  made  impetu- 
ous or  goatlike  descents  upon  the  possessions  of  others,  and 
the  history  of  the  crusades  bears  a  striking  analogy  to  theirs. 
As  the  cock  and  the  goat  are  attached  to  the  barnyard  and 
the  dunghill,  and  have  a  similar  air  and  manner,  and  resem- 
ble  each  other  in  profile,  so  those  who  resemble  these  animals 
are  intimately  related  to  each  other  in  character  and  physiog- 
nomy. 

The  word  "  striking"  is  particularly  applicable  to  the  goat- 
like face,  as  illustrated  in  the  preceding  engraving  and  in  the 
following  portrait  of  Beza.  This  old  reformer,  the  associate 
of  Calvin,  and  one  of  the  most  learned  and  zealous  controver- 


THE    GOAT. 


289 


sialists  of  his  time,  shows  in  his  countenance  the  character  of 
the  goat  as  plainly  as  he  exhibited  it  in  his  actions.  Who  can 
not  see'  that  of  him,  and  of  the  class  of  which  he  is  a  worthy 
representative,  it  may  be  said  — 


By  apostolic  blows  and  knocks 

They  prove  their  doctrines  orthodox  !" 


By-the-by,  the  apostles  were  Jews,  and  some  of  them  fine  ex- 
amples of  the  peculiarity  in  question. 

A  faculty  which  contributes  more  than  any  other  to  render 
the  action  of  the  combative  faculties  in  the  goat  peculiar,  is 
subterfuge.  This  is  indicated  by  the  falling  or  overhanging 
of  the  ridge  of  the  eyebrow  over  the  inner  angle  of  the  eye,  as 
seen  in  the  figures  preceding.  In  that  ridge  of  the  brow  there 
is  always  something  striking  in  the  person  who  resembles  a 
goat ;  it  looks  as  if  it  were  formed  to  make  a  hole  in  the  wall, 
so  that  the  enemy  might  enter  in  martial  triumph  with  all  his 
hosts.  How  proudly  he  proceeds !  It  is  because  his  subter- 
fuge is  subservient  to  his  combativeness :  if  it  were  not  so,  it 
would  make  him  sneaking  and  cowardly.  It  is  this  faculty 
which  causes  the  goat  to  make  his  attack  in  the  rear,  when- 
ever he  has  an  opportunity ;  but  his  attack  is  so  large,  and  is 
exercised  so  boldly,  that  he  carries  his  head  proudly,  as  if  he 
had  not  been  guilty  of  a  meanness,  and  did  not  meditate  the 
cowardly  act  which  at  any  moment  he  is  ready  to  perpetrate. 
The  principle  of  action  with  the  goat,  and  with  the  person 
who  resembles  that  animal,  is  vis  atergo — it  may  be  set  down 
as  their  governing  motive.  They  drive  things,  or,  in  other 
words,  they  are  dogmatic.  They  do  not  lead,  or  persuade ; 
and  yet  they  do  not  come  up  boldly  as  antagonists,  but  manage 

19 


290 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


to  get  behind,  and  there  to  attack  so  boldly,  that  they  mistake 
the  back  side  for  the  front,  and  claim  to  "  have  done  the  thing 
fairly,"  and  to  have  carried  the  redoubt  courageously ! 

But  subterfuge  favors  cowardice  more  than  bravery.  It 
runs  to  refuges  and  retreats,  to  prevarication  and  falsehood 
(which  is  always  cowardly),  and  "  crawls  out  at  the  little  end 
of  the  horn."  It  has  a  thousand  resorts,  and  most  of  these 
are  confined  places,  or  under-ground  passages,  where  the  air 
is  polluted  by  excretion  and  putrescence,  and  is  not  relieved 
by  ventilation.  Thus  cowardice,  which  is  favored  by  subter- 
fuge, is  still  more  increased  by  the  causes  of  stench,  as  before 
explained.  The  habitation  of  the  animal  that  has  large  sub- 
terfuge "  smells  old,"  and  the  animal  himself  does  so ;  he  is 
"  in  bad  odor"  with  all  who  have  true  courage  and  magna- 
nimity, and  not  the  mere  pretension  to  it,  like  the  goat.  This 
animal  has  the  odor  alluded  to  in  greater  perfection  than  any 
other ;  it  is  the  sphere  of  cowardice,  and  of  traits  worthy  of 
being  distrusted  ;  and  the  sphere  of  the  person  who  resembles 
the  goat  has  a  repelling  influence  upon  those  of  a  different 
character,  and  is  of  the  kind  to  "  knock  a  man  down."  Thus 
there  is  an  agreement  between  subterfuge  and  combativeness ; 

and  every  goat,  as  well  as 

"  every  cock,  fights  best 

on  his  own  dunghill." 
It  has  been  frequently 

observed  that  in  certain 

characters  there  is  a  sin- 
gular meeting  of  oppo- 

sites.  The  love  of  climb- 
ing is  diverse  from  subterfuge,  but  it  acts  harmoniously  with 
that  faculty,  as  combativeness  does.  The  goat  is  fond  of  ta- 
king his  station  where  he  can  get  under  a  rock  or  mount  to 
the  top  of  it,  and  is  familiarly  seen  at  the  side  of  a  flight  of 
steps,  where  he  can  get  under  or  ascend,  as  one  or  the  other 
of  these  dispositions  happens  to  predominate.  The  sign  of 
the  love  of  climbing  is  the  anterior  projection  of  the  ridge  of 
the  eyebrow  over  the  centre  of  the  eye  —  large  in  the  goat  and 
in  those  who  resemble  him.     In  human  beings  the  ambition 


THE    GOAT. 


291 


to  rise  includes  this  faculty,  together  with  the  love  of  emi- 
nence, indicated  in  the  elevation  of  the  wing  of  the  nostril  by 
the  muscle  called  the  levator  nasi. 
The  love  of  climbing  may  be  so 
strongly  excited  as  to  produce  an  in- 
flammation of  the  membrane  that 
lines  the  frontal  sinus  in  the  place 
which  indicates  this  faculty,  and  in 
this  case  there  is  pain  and  distress 
in  that  portion  of  the  forehead.  This 
remark  is  applicable  to  the  person 
of  whom  this  is  a  profile,  and  whose 
"  synonym,"  if  we  mistake  not,  is  a 
mountain-goat.  The  faculty  of  weight 
is  intimately  related  to  the  love  of 
climbing  —  and  hence  Nature  has 
given  to  animals  fond  of  clamber- 
ing heavy  horns,  as  in  the  case  of  the  ibex.  In  the  example 
before  us,  Nature  has  slung,  not  a  bottle,  but  a  horn  — 


upon  each  side, 


To  keep  his  balance  true." 

There  is  a  sympathetic  spirit  between  these  two,  the  person 
and  the  animal. 


292  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

Now  consider  what  must  be  the  effect  of  this  combination 
of  combativeness,  subterfuge,  love  of  climbing,  love  of  emi- 
nence, and  balance  and  sure-footedness.  It  must  be  some- 
thing very  nearly  allied  to  diplomacy.  How  nicely  every- 
thing must  be  weighed,  measured,  and  adjusted,  by  the  man 
who  resembles  the  animal  that  climbs  precipitous  rocks,  and 
spends  his  life  in  perfect  safety  among  cliffs  and  crags,  cav- 
erns and  pitfalls!  The  important  office  of  the  diplomatist 
may  be  assigned  to  him  with  the  greatest  propriety.  It  is  a 
rare  talent  that  distinguishes  the  man  who  resembles  the 
mountain-goat,  the  ibex,  or  the  chamois.  He  is  often  called 
upon  to  take  a  leap  where  the  greatest  danger  is  involved, 
and  where  not  a  moment  is  to  be  lost ;  and  it  is  never  into 
an  oozy  bed,  like  that  of  the  frog,  and  is  never  therefore  a 
leap  in  the  dark.  The  man  who  resembles  the  goat  always 
knows  what  he  is  about,  and  is  always  prudent  so  far  as  policy 
and  expediency  are  concerned.  A  single  reflection  will  sat- 
isfy the  reader  that  the  Jews  possess  the  faculties  here  referred 
to  in  a  super-eminent  degree. 

The  connection  of  subterfuge  and  combativeness  with  the 
love  of  climbing  is  seen  in  the  disposition  to  undermine  natu- 
ral and  artificial  walls  and  eminences,  and  to  strike  against 
those  solid  substances  that  compose  an  ascent  and  offer  resist- 
ance to  progression.  Hence  the  goat  and  those  who  resemble 
him  are  suited  in  their  tastes  and  habits  to  ruins  and  to  every- 
thing which  savors  of  the  old.     A  mountain,  with 

"ruined  sides  and  summit  hoar," 

is  especially  pleasing  to  them,  and  ivy-mantled  towers  and 
the  fragments  of  ancient  temples  are  their  delight.  There  is 
an  aristocratic  bearing  about  them,  and  their  thoughts  are  as- 
sociated with  grandeur,  in  which  the  eternal  and  the  perish- 
able are  equally  mingled;  the  contemplation  of  immortality 
being  assisted  by  the  emblems  of  frailty  and  of  the  insubstan- 
tial ity  of  sublunary  things.  The  love  of  his  "holy  hill  of 
Zion,"  of  his  "  beautiful  temple,"  and  of  the  rites  and  cere- 
monies of  his  religion  (so  remarkable  for  their  accuracy  and 
precision),  is  a  characteristic  of  the  Jew. 


THE    GOAT. 


293 


The  faculty  of  acquisitiveness  operates  as  a  leading  motive 
in  the  character  of  the  goat  and  of  those  who  resemble  him, 
and  it  dovetails  with  the  faculties  before  mentioned  most  ad- 
mirably. Who  has  not  observed  the  thievish  propensities  of 
this  animal,  and  how  boldly  he  exercises  them  in  connection 
with  combativeness,  and  how  impudently  in  connection  with 
combativeness  and  subterfuge  ?  We  could  not  bring  a  stronger 
example  of  the  action  of  this  faculty  in  the  particular  way 
which  constitutes  a  resemblance  to  the  goat,  than  in  the  Isra- 
elite. Boldness  and  impudence  are  cheap  in  those  places 
where  the  "  old-clo' "  men  congregate ;  and  what  we  have 
already  said  of  the  love  of  antiquity,  and  of  old  smells,  and 
of  bodily  excretions,  explains  the  partiality  manifested  by 
these  people  for  trading  in  cast-off  garments,  old  furniture, 
and  the  like.  The  goat  which  this  person  resembles  is  simi- 
lar to  a  sheep,  but  the  similarity  serves  to  heighten  the  dis- 
tinction.    The  person  who  resembles  the  goat  has  a  mouth 


which  indicates  a  taste  for  tobacco  —  a  self-complacent  appre- 
ciation of  the  quality  which  he  calls  "  sweet,"  and  which 
others  are  insensible  of,  in  the  nature  of  that  weed.  It  is  a 
Charles  Goat  rather  than  a  Charles  Lamb  who  says  in  earnest 
to  tobacco : — 

"  Plant,  of  rarest  virtue  ! 

Blisters  on  the  tongue  that  hurts  you !" 

A  likeness  to  the  sheep  betokens  spiritual  perceptions,  and 
the  ability  to  distinguish  between  the  peculiarities  of  one  per- 


294  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

son  and  those  of  another ;  but  a  likeness  to  the  goat  betokens 
an  external  mind,  and  hence  a  deficient  knowledge  of  human 
nature.  Of  course,  such  a  character  is  a  very  superficial  one  ; 
it  is  hardly  worth  the  trouble  of  analyzing. 

In  the  preceding  figure  it  is  easy  to  see  that  the  eyes  are 
mere  windows  to  look  out  of.  They  observe  the  clothing  of 
the  spirit,  and  to  them  it  is  true  that  — 

"Nature  has  made  man's  breast  no  windows 
To  publish  what  goes  on  within  doors, 
Or  what  dark  secrets  there  inhabit, 
Unless  his  own  rash  fury  blab  it !" 

Hence  they  are  interested  in  clothes  and  superficial  orna- 
ments, and  the  Jews  trade  and  traffic  in  these  the  world  over, 
particularly  in  jewels,  which  are  well  named,  being  the  fa- 
vorite merchandise  of  the  Jews.  They  are  no  judges  of 
character,  and  think  that  others  will  not  know  anything  more 
of  them  than  they  blab.  They  make  no  distinctions,  but  ad- 
dress all  with  the  same  ridiculous  familiarity,  or  formality,  as 
the  case  may  be.  In  Chatham  street  they  do  not  distinguish 
you  from  a  common  loafer ;  you  are  not  supposed  to  know 
the  profession  of  the  person  who  calls  after  you  until  he  has 
pointed  at  his  wares,  nor  to  know  whether  you  want  anything 
or  not,  nor  to  have  any  mind  of  your  own,  for  a  mind  is  a 
thing  which  a  Jew  does  not  recognise.  Look  at  those  eyes : 
they  catch  every  object  that  passes,  that  may  be  converted 
into  gain ;  they  are  as  full  of  business  as  a  squirrel's  cheeks 
are  of  nuts ;  they  speculate  on  the  solid  attractions  of  woman, 
and  may  possibly  see  jewels  in  her  eyes.  His  mouth  is  the 
figure  of  a  tulip,  and  is  fond  of  ruby  lips  and  tobacco,  the 
ruby  of  his  own  being  the  stain  of  the  juice.  Love  with  him 
is  a  gratification  of  the  senses ;  it  does  not  go  deeply  into  his 
heart,  and  hence  he  makes  no  demands  upon  the  hearts  of 
others ;  he  is  a  favorite  of  the  ladies  rather  than  otherwise, 
for,  as  he  asks  no  heart,  he  puts  them  to  no  inconvenience  to 
find  out  whether  they  have  any.  If  he  ever  heard  of  "  heart- 
strings," he  thought  of  "  purse-strings ;"  and  when  he  hears 
of  "  a  man  of  worth,"  he  thinks  of  riches.     The  correspondent 


THE   GOAT.  295 

of  all  these  traits  is  in  the  goat.  This  animal  is  all  attention 
to  the  external ;  he  has  uncommon  quickness  of  the  senses. 
You  never  see  a  dreamy  or  abstracted  look  in  his  countenance, 
as  )Tou  do  in  the  sheep  and  the  cow,  and  other  domestic  ani- 
mals. He  sees  every  motion  you  make,  and  so  quickly  that 
he  seems  almost  to  perceive  your  intention ;  but  if  your  mo- 
tive is  pacific  he  does  not  know  it ;  his  nature  compels  him 
to  act  upon  the  principle  of  treating  every  man  as  a  rogue ; 
his  countenance,  be  it  ever  so  full  of  honesty,  goes  for  noth- 
ing, unless  he  be  himself  in  an  honest  mood,  and  then  even 
the  basest  usage  can  not  destroy  his  confidence ;  he  may  be 
seized  repeatedly  by  a  dog,  and  cry  bitterly,  but  in  the  inter- 
vals will  make  no  attempt  to  escape. 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


CHAPTER   XXXY. 

In  traversing  the  thoroughfares  and  by-ways  of  a  great  city, 
we  are  impressed  with  the  conviction  that  there  are  multi- 
tudes of  people  who  resemble  goats.    There  is  a  variety  of 


countenances  that  forcibly  remind 
us  of  "  some  sort  of  animal,"  though 
we  can  not  say  that  there  is  anything 
very  gross  or  beastly  in  its  appear- 
ance. An  example  is  herewith  pre- 
sented, and  on  closer  inspection  it  is 
the  physiognomy  of  a  goat.  The  in- 
dividual before  us  is  the  representa- 
tive of  a  class,  who  look  so  very  in- 
nocent of  any  relationship  to  inferior 
creatures,  that  we  do  not  at  first 
sight  form  a  very  distinct  idea  of 
the  animal  they  resemble.  They 
give  you  to  understand  that  they 
are  descended  from  an  ancient  and 
honorable  ancestry,  and  carry  their 
heads  with  such  an  air  of  knowing 
what  they  are  about,  that  you  begin  to  accuse  yourself  of  un- 
pardonable irreverence  in  harboring  the  suspicion  that  they 


THE   GOAT.  297 

have  a  family  likeness  to  the  goat.  The  more  you  peer  into 
their  countenances,  the  more  you  are  mystified  and  perplexed 
with  a  "  lawless  and  uncertain"  imagining ;  a  vague  impres- 
sion steals  over  you  that  there  is  some  sort  of  connection  be- 
tween beard  and  tobacco,  and  of  these  with  goat,  but  you  are 
determined  not  to  credit  the  evidence  of  your  senses. 

It  is  a  physiognomy  like  the  preceding  that  excites  this  sort 
of  metaphysical  discussion  in  your  mind.  A  proper  use  of 
the  faculty  of  comparison  would  place  this  specimen  of  the 
genus  homo  where  he  belongs.  He  is  cut  out  and  formed 
specially  for  "  dancing  attendance"  upon  the  ladies ;  and  the 
ladies,  dear  souls,  are  quick  to  perceive  the  intentions  of  Na- 
ture. He  is  the  very  person  to  dance  with  when  it  is  a,  part- 
ner that  is  wanted.  That  great  prominence  of  the  bone  under 
the  eye  is  an  indication  that  he  sees  everything :  hence  he  is 
the  very  person  that  is  wanted  in  the  cotillon,  when  it  is  need- 
ful that  everything  should  be  seen  to,  and  that  the  dance 
should  go  off  respectably.  The  motions  in  the  ballroom  are 
like  those  that  are  exercised  in  "  dancing  attendance,"  and 
the  grace  and  elegance  of  the  latter  are  greatly  enhanced  by 
the  systematic  exercise  of  which  they  are  the  original.  The 
goat  has  a  u  light  fantastic  toe,"  and  "  trips  it  lightly."  The 
performances  called  dancing,  par  excellence,  are  derived  from 
a  resemblance  to  the  goat,  which  no  person  need  be  ashamed 
of,  unless  this  element  in  his  nature  be  in  too  great  proportion, 
or  too  literal.  The  actions  of  this  animal  upon  which  we  predi- 
cate our  assertions  are  thus  described :  "  She  walks,  stops 
short,  runs,  jumps,  advances,  retreats,  shows,  then  hides  her- 
self, or  flies ;  and  this  all  from  caprice,  or  without  any  other 
determinate  cause  than  her  whimsical  vivacity."  A  very  cor- 
rect description  of  a  dance  certainly,  and  it  may  be  true  also 
that  these  "irregular"  movements  show  "inconstancy,"  as 
natural  history  supposes;  but  when  they  are  regulated  by 
music,  which  brings  order  out  of  confusion,  they  show  the 
opposite. 

A  word  upon  this  subject.  A  resemblance  to  the  goat  ar- 
gues a  vast  deal  of  amativeness,  with  very  great  impulsive- 
ness of  this  faculty ;  and  this  sort  of  love  is  fickle  and  incon- 


COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

stant.  The  very  motions  described  above  are  indications  of 
this,  and  are  lewd  and  vulgar ;  but  in  the  degree  that  they 
are  various  and  complicated  they  are  subject  to  the  influence 
of  music,  and  become  finally  amenable  to  its  laws.  Music  in 
this  connection  is  first  an  element  of  bacchanalian  revel,  and 
is  prostituted  to  debauchery  and  licentiousness  by  the  superi- 
ority of  that  which  it  attempts  to  reform ;  but  after  a  time  it 
acquires  the  mastery,  and  governs  the  motions,  and  makes 
them,  like  itself,  the  language  of  constancy,  purity,  and  love 
—  expressive  of  the  most  delicate  relations  of  the  sexes,  of 
refinement,  friendship,  and  affection.  As  love  and  happiness 
are  united,  so  are  music  and  the  poetry  of  motion,  and  it  is 
natural  to  sing  for  love  and  to  dance  for  joy. 

Look  again,  if  you  please,  at  our  hero.  If  you  are  not  a 
woman,  you  can  see  by  his  countenance  that  he  has  in  his 
mouth  something  delicious ;  you  are  sure  that  it  is  a  quid,  and 
that  he  "  rolls  it  as  a  sweet  morsel  under  his  tongue."  That 
in  the  muscles  of  his  cheeks,  and  in  his  lips  and  tongue,  there 
is  the  power  of  extracting  the  juice,  and  also  of  projecting  it, 
is  all  plain  to  a  masculine  judgment;  and  his  face  is  so 
largely  concerned  in  his  duties  to  the  weed,  that  there  is 
something  delicious  in  his  countenance.  He  says,  when  he 
stuffs  a  chew  through  the  aperture  appropriated  to  that  pur- 
pose, that  he  " puts  it  into  his  face"  And  yet  not  one  wo- 
man in  twenty  would  know  that  he  chews.  He  looks  with 
doating  eyes  on  the  lovely  fair,  and  that  is  sufficient  to  with- 
draw their  attention  from  everything  but  the  eyes  that  are 
capable  of  such,  appreciation.  But  the  eye  indicates  taste, 
and  such  taste  as  corresponds  to  that  of  the  tongue.  The 
ideas  which  a  tobacco-monger  forms  of  a  sweet  face  and  of  a 
sweet  disposition  correspond  to  his  ideas  of  sweetness. 

"Why  it  is  that  one  who  resembles  the  goat  is  fond  of  to- 
bacco, we  have  not  yet  discovered.  Certain  it  is  that  a  per- 
son with  features  like  the  preceding,  and  with  such  a  beard, 
can  not  be  otherwise  than  fond  of  the  drug.  The  appetite  is 
natural  to  him,  or  rather  we  should  say  that  it  is  easily  ac- 
quired, and  that  he  holds  it  with  more  tenacity  than  he  does 
his  saliva !     He  is  one  who  does  everything  with  an  air  of 


THE   GOAT. 


nonchalance^  and  is  "  well  to  do"  in  the  world,  and  lias  some- 
thing to  chew  upon,  like  the  goat  that  retires  and  ruminates 
upon  the  stock  of  food  that  he  has  gathered.  Here  is  a  lot 
of  people  who  resemble  goats,  and  have  all  of  them  the  air 
and  manner  that  have  been  described.  The  resemblances 
are  most  admirable,  as  may  be  seen  by  comparing  them  one 
by  one  with  the  individual  goats  we  have  met  with  and  have 
seen  in  print.  Yet  the  artist  had  only  the  intention  of  repre- 
senting a  company  of  persons  under  the  habitual  influence  of 
tobacco,  and  has  evidently  drawn  from  his  observation — so 


much  so,  that  we  are  inclined  to  think  that  he  has  given  us 
portraits,  or,  better  still,  that  we  have  seen  these  portraits  be- 
fore. They  speak  for  themselves,  for  countenances  will  speak, 
even  in  church.  It  is  easy  to  see  rumination  in  the  faces  of 
the  men,  and  perception  in  those  of  the  women,  which  must 
be  highly  gratifying  to  the  preacher,  whose  expression  is  that 
of  delivery.  The  man  nearest  the  desk  is  taking  in  an  idea, 
and  it  is  evidently  a  great  one.     The  man  with  his  back  to 


300  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

us,  and  facing  the  speaker,  is  on  the  verge  of  apprehending, 
and  is  pausing  and  deliberating  upon  the  event,  as  if  there 
were  no  weightier  consideration  than  that  of  listening.  The 
man  with  a  profile  is  cogitating  upon  the  probable  quantity 
of  tobacco-juice  he  will  be  able  to  express  from  the  cud  that 
he  has  now  in  his  mouth  before  he  will  be  obliged  to  throw  it 
away.  The  remaining,  fat-faced,  good-natured  individual,  is 
the  only  respectable  person  in  the  congregation :  he  extracts 
sweets  from  his  tobacco  and  from  the  sermon  as  skilfully  as  a 
bee  does  from  poison  flowers,  and  is  hospitable  with  pipes 
and  tobacco  to  others  more  than  to  himself,  thereby  exceed- 
ing the  requirement  of  the  golden  rule.  The  preacher  is  one 
who  asks  "  a  chaw"  from  every  man  he  meets,  as  is  plainly 
indicated  by  his  countenance ;  and  he  patronizes  the  last- 
mentioned  individual  especially,  and  is  blessed  with  an  in- 
stinct in  his  fingers  of  seizing  a  pinch  of  snuff  without  know- 
ing it,  and  of  conveying  it  to  his  nose  during  one  of  his 
emphatic  courtesies. 

But  the  female  part  of  the  congregation — we  leave  them 
to  an  abler  pen  than  our  own.  The  speaker  addresses  all  his 
eloquent  words  to  the  men,  for  they  have  reverence — and 
are  of  the  opinion  that  such  a  sermon  as  that  is  "  not  to  be 
sneezed  at  I"  A  woman,  considering  his  "  pinching  wants," 
is  offering  to  supply  them,  not  dreaming  that  she  is  wanting 
in  veneration ;  and  just  now  the  preacher  is  touching  upon 
the  sublime,  and  making  an  appeal  to  the  organ  of  venera- 
tion rather  than  to  that  of  benevolence,  which  makes  the 
offering  of  a  pinch  of  snuff  highly  improper,  especially  as  he 
might  say :  "lam  not  speaking  to  you,  ladies,  but  to  these 
gentlemen ;  when  I  have  something  to  say  on  charity,  I  will 
turn  to  you !"  But  it  is  a  hard  thing  for  women,  who  are  so 
fond  of  attention,  to  see  it  bestowed  on  others,  and  not  make  an 
effort  to  gain  it.  That  woman,  especially,  shows  by  her  coun- 
tenance that  she  is  ever  ready  to  thrust  herself  upon  the  at- 
tention of  others,  making  herself  officious,  and  in  the  face  of 
reluctant  admiration  and  cold  indifference  acting  upon  the 
principle,  "  Never  give  up  the  ship !" 

We  opine  that  the  preacher  is  haranguing  from  a  text  from 


THE    GOAT.  301 

Paul,  and  that  the  subject  is  "justification  by  faith."  Paul 
was  a  converted  Jew,  and  he  would  have  been  a  strange  Jew 
indeed  if  he  had  not  preserved  the  national  characteristics. 
The  intricacy  and  subtlety  of  his  reasoning,  his  discussions 
about  the  law,  his  manner  of  dispute,  his  cross-questionings 
and  answers,  show  that  he  was  "  a  Hebrew  of  the  Hebrews," 
and  that  it  was  not  for  nothing  that  he  was  brought  up  at  the 
feet  of  Gamaliel,  and  that  the  manner  of  his  life  was  after 
the  strictest  sect  of  the  Pharisees.  He  was  the  lawyer  before 
Festus ;  the  doctor  in  his  epistles ;  and  fully  and  thoroughly 
Jewish,  in  being  "  all  things  to  all  men,  that  he  might  win 
some."  The  Jews,  scattered  among  the  nations,  are  admira- 
ble diplomatists,  for  "  when  they  are  in  Eome  they  do  as  the 
Romans  do."  All  the  Jews  that  are  converted  to  Christianity 
are  converted  through  the  instrumentality  of  Paul;  and  it 
may  be  that  that  class  of  Gentiles  who  seem  to  say,  "  I  am 
of  Paul,"  are  slightly  Judaized. 

The  long  beard  of  the  goat  indicates  the  impulsiveness  of 
those  faculties  the  signs  of  which  are  in  the  chin.  The  per- 
son who  resembles  this  animal  is  remarkable  for  the  same 
manifestation  of  the  faculties  of  love.  The  disposition  which 
more  than  anything  else  renders  the  goat  a  disgusting  animal, 
is  indicated  in  the  breadth  of  his  lower  jaw,  his  peculiar  odor, 
his  prominent  sacrum,  the  action  of  his  head  in  the  direction 
of  the  lower  jaw,  and  the  wanton  manners,  or  "  whimsical 
vivacity,"  before  alluded  to.  This,  together  with  the  fondness 
for  external  objects  and  for  the  gratification  of  the  senses,  ren- 
ders the  person  who  resembles  the  goat  exceedingly  sensual, 
and  a  very  perfect  example  of  the  "  lusts  of  the  flesh,  the  lust 
of  the  eye,  and  the  pride  of  life." 

Amativeness,  with  nothing  to  counteract  it,  and  with  sub- 
terfuge and  suspicion  to  favor  it,  leads  to  "  filthiness  of  the 
flesh,"  and  to  stimulant  heats  of  fermentation  and  beds 
of  filth,  where  whatever  is  engendered  is  the  vilest  of  the 
animal  creation,  together  with  pestilence,  contagion,  and  dis- 
ease. 

But  this  is  applicable  only  to  those  who  resemble  the  goat 
of  the  stable  (see  next  page)  more  than  the  wild,  and  free,  and 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


unperverted  animal  that  inhabits  the  mountains.     The  goat 
has  only  to  exercise  his  faculties  of  love  of  climbing  and  love 

of  eminence  to  remove  the  pop- 
ular prejudice  against  him ; 
and  the  Jew,  against  whom 
there  is  a  corresponding  preju- 
dice, is  greatly  admired  when 
he  aspires  to  a  high  position, 
and  attains  an  eminence  where 
he  can  exercise  his  noble  gifts. 
In  such  a  case,  even  the  natural  grossness  of  the  character  be- 
comes agreeable ;  there  is  abundant  provision  for  the  body, 
and  the  corporeal  necessities  of  others  are  attended  to :  the 
ancient  hospitality,  so  beautifully  exemplified  by  the  patri- 
archs, is  still  observed,  and  the  Jew  is  deserving  of  the  name 
which  is  freely  given  to  him,  and  which  he  accepts  without 
ostentation,  of  being  "  good-natured  and  hospitable."  Yet  his 
hospitality  is  seldom  returned,  except  in  the  "  Welcome,  stran- 
gers, to  dwell  among  us,  if  you  will,"  which  sounds  so  pleas- 
antly to  the  u  strangers  in  a  strange  land." 

Yet  it  is  natural  that  the  hospitality  that  is  extended  to  the 


THE   GOAT.  303 

Jews  should  be  stinted,  and  nobody  is  to  blame  for  it.  They 
are  scattered  among  the  Gentiles,  and  are  nowhere  tolerated 
in  large  numbers.  In  like  manner,  goats  are  scattered,  one 
in  this  flock  of  sheep  and  another  in  that,  a  few  here  and  a 
few  there,  though  it  was  once  their  right  and  their  custom  to 
live  together.  There  is  a  sphere  about  them  that,  concen- 
trated, would  be  intolerable ;  and  so  they  are  spread  abroad, 
notwithstanding  they  are  naturally  gregarious.  The  Jews 
have  very  great  inhabitiveness,  and  wherever  they  are  scat- 
tered they  are  a  distinct  people,  and  think  of  a  return  to  their 
promised  land,  which  is  their  home  still.  They  are  still  ani- 
mated by  the  spirit  that  prompted  that  beautiful  psalm : — 

"By  the  rivers  of  Babylon  there  we  sat  down, 
Yea,  we  wept,  when  we  remembered  Zion ! 
We  hanged  our  harps  upon  the  willows 
In  the  midst  thereof. 

For  there  they  that  carried  us  away  captive  required  of  us  a  song ; 
And  they  that  wasted  us  required  of  us  mirth, 
Saying,  '  Sing  us  one  of  the  songs  of  Zion.' 
How  shall  we  sing  the  Lord's  song 
In  a  strange  land  ? 
If  1  forget  thee,  O  Jerusalem, 
Let  my  right  hand  forget  her  cunning ; 
If  I  do  not  remember  thee, 
Let  my  tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of  my  mouth ; 
If  I  prefer  not  Jerusalem  above  my  chief  joy." 

In  this  charming  expression  of  the  love  of  home,  is  included 
whatever  is  domestic  and  social.  Music  and  dancing  are  so 
—  the  first  expressing  love,  and  the  latter  the  happiness  at- 
tendant thereon;  and  they  are  mentioned  in  order,  and  with 
poetic  allusions ;  the  instrument  of  music,  the  song,  and  the 
dance.  The  harp  is  hung  upon  the  willow,  for  its  music 
should  be  like  that  of  the  wind-harp,  plaintive  and  sad,  and 
the  willow  is  the  emblem  of  mourning.  The  song  is  like  that 
of  the  captive  bird  — 

"  Warbling  its  native  wood-notes  wild" 

with  a  sad  memory  of  its  wild-wood  home,  and  gratifying  the 
unreasonable  requirement  of  its  captors.    The  dance  is  per- 


304:  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

formed  with  wasted  strength  ;  and  the  "  sacred  mirth"  of  holy 
love  and  worship,  joining  the  harp  and  the  song,  is  required 
by  those  who  enfeeble  them,  and  is  the  saddest  token  of  all. 
How  shall  the  bird  sing  the  song  of  the  wild-woods  in  its  wiry 
prison?  and  how  shall  the  Jew  sing  the  Lord's  song  in  a 
strange  land  ?  He  can  not ;  and  yet  his  practice  upon  the 
harp  shall  prove  that  he  does  not  forget  Jerusalem ;  the  use 
of  his  tongue  in  singing  shall  prove  that  he  remembers  her :  if 
he  can  forget  her,  let  his  hand  forget  its  skill  upon  instru- 
ments ;  if  he  ceases  to  remember,  let  his  tongue  refuse  to  sing ; 
if  he  prefer  not  Jerusalem  above  his  chief  joy,  let  him  never 
again  "joy  in  the  dance." 

It  may  be  supposed  that  we  have  wandered  quite  beyond 
our  province,  which  is  the  resemblance  between  the  Jew  and 
the  goat.  The  goat  has  very  great  inhabitiveness,  as  all  ani- 
mals have  that  inhabit  mountains  and  are  sheltered  by  rocks  ; 
but  the  strongest  love  of  home  is  that  of  mountain  and  valley 
combined,  and  this  is  particularly  manifested  in  the  goat. 
Jerusalem  was  built  upon  a  steep  rock  in  the  midst  of  a  val- 
ley. This  is  such  a  place  as  the  goat  would  choose,  as  best 
suited  to  the  gratification  of  his  nature,  which  combines  sub- 
terfuge with  the  love  of  climbing.  Moreover,  the  goat  seems 
to  have  a  strong  sense  of  his  individuality,  everywhere  stand- 
ing alone,  and  shunning  contact.  Xow,  place  and  individu- 
ality are  essential  to  each  other,  and  both  are  essential  to 
music  and  dancing.  Individuals  can  be  placed  in  harmoni- 
ous relations  to  each  other,  and  harmonious  relations  can  con- 
fer individuality  even  upon  sounds,  as  is  the  case  with  the 
notes  in  music.  Place  and  individuality  in  the  goat  cause 
him  to  be  possessed  of  the  faculties  of  "  time"  and  "  tune." 
It  is  evident  that  he  has  a  good  knowledge  of  metre,  for  in 
leaping  from  rock  to  rock  he  combines  an  accurate  perception 
of  time  and  distance,  and  we  can  testify  that  he  has  a  percep- 
tion of  tune,  for  we  have  heard  him  at  night  utter  sounds  that 
were  musical  in  their  combination,  so  much  so  as  to  convince 
us  that  there  is  "  music  in  him."  The  sounds  were  singularly 
human  and  pathetic,  and  touched  our  souls  with  a  sympathy 
that  the  notes  of  no  other  animal  ever  awakened.     We  pre- 


THE   GOAT.  305 

sume  that  those  who  are  accustomed  to  sleep  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  goats  have  often  heard  them. 

The  reader  may  be  disposed  to  laugh  at  the  idea  that  a 
goat  can  sing ;  but  there  is  the  same  approach  to  singing  in 
the  cries  of  this  animal,  that  there  is  to  eloquence  in  the  bark- 
ing and  howling  of  the  dog.  That  the  goat  is  possessed  of 
the  elements  of  the  art  and  science  of  dancing  we  have  before 
observed.  The  ancient  Jews  excelled  in  this  accomplishment, 
as  they  did  in  music,  and  their  descendants  are  equal  in  these 
respects,  if  not  superior,  to  the  people  with  whom  they  dwell. 

Music  is  the  language  of  love,  and  "  perfect  love  casteth 
out  fear;"  hence  the  cultivation  of  music  gives  increase  to 
courage,  and  whatever  diminishes  bravery  diminishes  the 
love  for  music.  Of  animals  that  are  fond  of  fermented  food 
the  notes  are  discordant  and  harsh,  and  these  animals  are 
cowardly ;  but  of  animals  that  will  not  eat  and  drink  unless 
their  food  and  water  be  fresh  and  pure,  the  notes  are  soft  and 
musical,  and  these  animals  are  not  cowardly  and  cruel,  but 
cautious  and  brave.  Fermentation  is  disorder  and  confusion, 
and  it  corresponds  to  and  is  promotive  of  discord  in  the  per- 
son who  allows  it  in  the  food  and  drink  that  he  uses.  Music 
inspires  courage,  and  cultivates  it.  The  schoolboy  whistles 
to  put  down  the  fear  that  haunts  him  when  he  passes  a  grave- 
yard at  night.  Tarn  O'Shanter  in  the  neighborhood  of  Kirk 
Alloway  is  described  — 

"  Whiles  holding  fast  his  gude  blue  bonnet, 
Whiles  croning  o'er  some  auld  Scotch  sonnet, 
Whiles  glow'ring  round  wi'  prudent  cares, 
Lest  bogles  catch  him  unawares." 

The  soldier,  with  all  his  boasted  bravery,  requires 
"  the  thrilling  fife  and  pealing  drum" 

to  nerve  him  to  the  dread  encounter ;  and  the  music  is  first 
and  foremost,  the  warriors  following  behind,  with  the  expres- 
sion "Who's  afraid?"  legible  in  their  faces. 

There  is  no  disputing  the  courage  of  the  goat :  his  indispo- 
sition to  run  when  there  is  a  provocation  to  fight  is  well 
known,  though,  as  before  stated,  he  has  a  peculiar  way  of  ma- 

20 


306 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


king  his  assault,  The  Jews  are  courageous ;  they  always 
were,  and  always  will  be.  They  have  no  need  to  "  pluck  up 
courage,"  and  hence  no  need  of  a  "  brandy  smasher."  A 
drunken  Jew  is  a  rare  commodity.  In  dealing  with  you,  they 
make  up  their  minds  at  once  what  they  will  do ;  and  though 
they  invariably  conclude  to  make  a  large  profit,  they  are,  on 
account  of  their  courage,  fair  people  to  deal  with.  They  keep 
their  eye  upon  the  "  main  chance,"  which  they  could  not  do 
if  they  shrunk  timidly  away ;  and  they  are  always  ready  for 
that 

"  tide  in  the  affairs  of  men, 

Which,  taken  at  the  flood,  leads  on  to  fortune." 

Here  is  the  "  Jew  boy,  by  Mark  Lemon.""     You  may  trust 
him  to  earn  a  living,  and  to  live  easily  without  seeming  to  be 


busy,  for  he  takes  after  his  seniors  by  a  kind  of  instinct.  The 
philosophy  of  living  is  known  only  to  the  Jew :  it  is  to  live 
free  from  care,  to  be  never  troubled  with  business,  to  live 
easily  as  if  the  means  of  living  wTere  abundant,  and  by  seem- 
ing to  do  nothing  to  show  that  business  is  prosperous.  This 
is  the  air  and  manner  of  the  Jew  boy ;  he  has  nothing  of  the 
loafer  about  him  except  the  appearance. 

It  is  curious  to  trace  the  likeness  between  the  Jew  and  the 
goat  in  the  general  appearance  and  in  the  features  and  ex- 
pressions of  the  countenance.  The  signs  of  attack  and  rela- 
tive-defence in  the  convexity  of  the  nose,  the  large  signs  of 
acquisitiveness  and  love  of  clothing  in  the  breadth  of  that 


THE    GOAT. 


307 


organ,  the  love  of  eminence  in  the  elevation  of  the  wing  of 
the  nostril,  the  want  of  concentration  in  the  shortness  of  the 
upper  lip,  the  strength  of  the  love  of  home  and  of  family  pride 
in  the  length  and  stiffness  of  the  under  lip,  the  energy  and 
impulsiveness  of  love  and  will  in  the  beard  and  chin,  the  signs 
of  substitution,  subterfuge,  and  the  love  of  climbing,  in  the 
ridge  of  the  eyebrow,  the  look  of  attention  to  external  objects, 
and  many  other  things,  betray  the  relationship  between  the 
Israelite  and  the  goat. 

The  fondness  of  the  Jew  for  things  "  as  old  as  the  hills," 
has  been  already  spoken  of.  He  has  the  strongest  possible 
attachment  to  the  religion  of  his  forefathers,  as  well  as  to  the 
country  they  inhabited.  He  has  no  ability  to  change  his 
creed.     The  goat  is  equally  attached  to  the  remains  of  the 


generations  that  are  past,  as  for  example  old  castles,  moulder- 
ing walls,  the  ruins  of  temples,  and 

"  Rocks,  knolls,  and  mounds,  confusedly  hurled, 
The  fragments  of  an  earlier  world." 

He  has  "  antiquity"  written  in  his  visage,  and  expressed  in 
his  sage  demeanor,  and  in  that  long  beard  that  has  always 
been  the  badge  of  wisdom  and  patriarchal  dignity.  Who 
more  than  the  Jew  has  defended  this  mark  of  manhood  amid 
all  the  obloquy  that  has  been  heaped  upon  it?  He  inclines 
to  preserve  it  as  a  token  of  age,  of  wisdom,  of  experience,  and 
of  matured  and  masculine  intellect.  It  carries  with  it  the  im- 
pression of  authority,  as  of  something  that  grows  hoary  with 
age,  and  resists  the  liability  to  decay.  "¥o  betide  the  hand 
that  plucks  the  wizard  beard  of  hoary  error  !"     That  hand  — 


308  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

'•  Might  wish  that  it  had  rather  dared 
To  pull  the  devil  by  the  beard !" 

The  Jew  had  ancestors  that  lived  from  two  to  nine  hundred 
years ;  and  nothing  could  be  more  sure  to  offend  him  than 
the  representation  that  one  of  these  was  wanting  a  beard. 
The  profession  of  a  barber  finds  no  followers  among  the  Jews. 
And  yet  the  Jew  is  a  notorious  shave,  or  there  is  no  truth,  in 
the  common  opinion.  He  takes  the  whole  or  none ;  figura- 
tively speaking,  he  "  grinds  the  faces  of  the  poor."  This  kind 
of  business  is  very  thoroughly  done  in  a  pawnbroker's  estab- 
lishment, and  the  Jews  are  the  people  to  do  it.  In  this  de- 
graded condition  they  resemble  the  goat  that  is  smelled  as 
far  as  he  is  seen,  and  is  classed  with  skunks.  "  The  smell  in  a 
pawnbroker's  store  is  sickening ;  it  nearly  resembles  what  the 
Spaniards  call  aroma  de  hacallo." 


THE   SHEEP. 


309 


CHAPTEE   XXXYI 


Let  the  individual  here  presented  be  described  according 
to  the  signs  of  character  in  the  "  Outlines  of  Physiognomy," 
and  we  shall  see  that  his  traits  agree  with  those  of  the  sheep, 
to  which  animal  he  is  seen  to  bear  a  marked  resemblance. 
Such  a  face  speaks  very  great  mild- 
ness and  amiability,  refined  and  ar- 


dent affections,  unaffected  modesty,  and  the  total  absence  of 
ill-will.  It  expresses  the  love  of  children,  of  parents,  brothers 
and  sisters,  and  the  social  affections  grounded  in  the  domes- 
tic. Children  are  regarded  by  him  as  "little  lambs,"  and  he 
teaches  them  by  his  own  meekness  and  dependence  the  force 
of  the  petition,  "  Lead  me  to  the  Rock  that  is  higher  than  I." 
To  trust  in  the  "  Good  Shepherd,"  and  to  commit  his  charge 
to  the  Power  that  protects  himself,  is  his  first  concern. 

In  the  man  who  resembles  the  sheep,  the  signs  of  attack, 
relative-defence,  and  self-defence,  in  the  ridge  of  the  nose,  are 
generally  large,  though  less  than  in  the  man  who  resembles 
the  goat;  and,  to  confess  the  truth,  he  is  never  backward  to 
engage  in  a  fair  and  honest  discussion,  but  it  is  always  with 
mildness  and  courtesy,  and  without  the  least  disposition  to 
take  the  advantage  of  his  opponent.  In  this  he  is  very  differ- 
ent from  the  person  who  favors  the  goat ;  for  the  latter,  though 


310 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


"  all  things  to  all  men,"  makes  it  a  point  to  take  the  advantage 
in  an  argument,  and  is  often  captious.  The  one  has  large 
subterfuge,  retaliation,  and  love  of  contest,  and  the  other  is 
exceedingly  deficient  in  these,  and  has  great  love  of  pre- 
serving. 

[Men-  of  true  courage  and  heroism  more  frequently  resemble 
sheep,  goats,  hares,  and  other  timid,  inoffensive  animals,  than 
lions,  tigers,  and  animals  of  the  savage  variety.     This  can  be 

easily  seen  by  looking 
at  our  own  revolutiona- 
ry heroes,  and  at  the 
truly  brave  and  patri- 
otic men  of  other  coun- 
tries, and  by  contrast- 
ing these  with  the  ty- 
rants and  rulers  who 
hold  the  same  relation 
to  the  former  that  the 
savage  animals  do  to 
the  inoffensive.  The  de- 
structive instrument  is 
like  the  passion  that  em- 
ploys it.  "  Battering- 
rams"  are  bolder  instru- 
ments of  war  than  pikes  and  guns :  they  seek  to  conquer  at 
once,  without  the  shedding  of  blood  ;  they  are  levelled  against 
inanimate  objects  — 
and  are  the  very  in- 
struments to  "  con- 
quer a  peace."  We 
use  this  as  figurative 
of  the  warrior  who 
resembles  a  ram.  He 
is  essentially  peace- 
ful, and  the  exercise 
of  his  superior  tactics 
and  bravery  in  war  is 
for  the  sake  of  peace  and  repose,  as  is  truly  the  case  with  the 


THE   SHEEP.  311 

sheep.  In  the  warrior  represented  on  the  preceding  page,  the 
similarity  in  the  air  and  expression  of  the  countenance  to  the 
peaceful  and  gentle  animal  with  which  he  is  compared  is 
easily  perceived.  There  is  a  striking  resemblance  to  the  ram 
in  the  profile  of  General  Scott. 

The  sheep  makes  good  use  of  the  fine  developments  along 
the  ridge  of  his  nose  —  sometimes  in  a  friendly  argument  with 
his  fellow,  in  which  he  gives  and  takes  without  any  tokens  of 
savage  anger ;  and  sometimes  in  a  tug  of  war  with  some  inof- 
fensive post,  which  his  imagination  seems  to  convert  into  a 
hostile  champion.  The  part  of  his  head  which  is  brought  to 
bear  upon  the  object  of  attack  is  the  sign  of  substitution,  or 
the  lower  part  of  the  forehead  in  the  place  called  the  frontal 
sinus.  It  is,  in  reality,  the  faculty  of  substitution  that  is  par- 
ticularly exercised  in  this  case,  the  post  being  substituted  for 
an  individual,  and  the  wall  for  an  army  of  soldiers.  By  the 
exhibition  of  martial  prowess  against  inanimate  objects,  the 
enemy,  if  he  have  ordinary  prudence,  is  convinced  that  resist- 
ance would  be  vain,  and  that  it  is  owing  to  the  magnanimity 
of  the  injured  party  that  he  is  not  severely  punished.  As  it 
is  not  the  love  of  triumph  that  prompts  the  sheep  to  an  onset, 
he  is  satisfied  to  try  his  strength  on  some  insensible  object, 
and  this  he  regards  with  a  friendly  feeling,  as  the  means  of 
his  making  a  demonstration.  It  is  a  singular  trait  of  charac- 
ter that  we  are  speaking  of,  for  those  who  resemble  the  sheep 
are  not  much  observed.  In  such  it  might  appear  as  if  it  were 
the  effect  of  education  and  discipline;  but  observe,  and  you 
will  see  that  it  is  a  natural  disposition.  The  love  of  preserving 
is  uppermost  in  the  animal  we  are  speaking  of,  and  in  those 
who  resemble  him,  even  when  the  warlike  faculties  are  called 
into  exercise. 

The  bearing  of  the  head  in  those  who  resemble  sheep  is  in- 
dependent, but  not  proud.  He  who,  with  the  appearance  of 
belonging  to  the  genus  ovis,  hangs  his  head  meanly,  has  in 
his  composition  something  of  the  character  of  the  wolf;  he  is 
in  the  habit  of  "  casting  sheeps'  eyes"  upon  the  lamb,  the  em- 
blem of  innocence  and  virtue,  and  this  has  given  him  the 
"hang-dog"  look  that  is  observed  in  the  dog  that  is  to  be 


312 


COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 


hanged  for  stealing  sheep.  The  sneakish  look  that  we  are 
speaking  of  is  conspicuous  in  the  canine  animal  that  hangs 
about  the  sheepfold,  and  says  — 

"'Tis  conscience  does  make  cowards  of  us  all;" 

and  pronounces  the  sentence  of  hanging  "  by  the  neck  till  he 
be  dead,  dead  I"  But  even  this,  mean  as  it  is,  is  better  than 
deception,  or  the  wearing  of  "  sheeps'  clothing,"  by  which 
wolves  endeavor  to  palm  themselves  off  for  sheep.  It  must 
not  be  forgotten  that  we  are  to  distinguish  between  the  look 
of  "  sheepishness,"  as  it  is  called,  and  the  looks  that  are  pecu- 
liar to  the  sheep  ;  but  there  is  hope  of  reformation  in  the  man 
who  is  not  insensible  to  shame. 

In  the  person  who  properly  resembles  the  sheep  there  is  a 
forward  position  of  the  head,  indicating  a  certain  degree  of 
diffidence,  or  a  susceptibility  to  shame,  should  there  be  an 
occasion  for  the  exercise  of  this  feeling.     Large  and  promi- 
nent eyes,  in  which  there 
is  the  expression  of  heroic 
daring  enshrined  in  peace ; 
great  activity  ;  a  high  and 
gently-retreating  forehead 
—  grace  in  feeling  and  ac- 
tion ;  a  light  form  and  elas- 
tic step;  admirable  precis- 
ion in  hitting  thoughts  up- 
on the  wing,  and  in  cloth- 
ing them  with  language ; 
great  consciousness  and  ca- 
pacity of  suffering;  tender- 
ness of  the  feelings  of  oth- 
ers, and  a  disposition  to 
lay  the  burdens  of  human 
beings  upon  inanimate  objects;  comfort  and  simplicity  in 
dress;  great  refinement  of  feeling  and  manners;  freedom, 
simplicity,  and  copiousness  of  ideas;  poetry,  and  sublimity, 
and  elegance  of  expression;  great  love  of  liberty,  and  indig- 
nation at  the  wrong  done  to  others  by  the  right  of  the  strongest 


THE    SHEEP. 


313 


—  are  among  the  traits  of  character  in  the  man  who  bears  a 
worthy  resemblance  to  the  sheep.  In  his  dress  he  is  studious 
of  comfort,  and  all  his  efforts  are  directed  to  contentment. 
He  trusts  in  Providence :  he  scarcely  knows  the  meaning  of 
the  term  want  or  stern  necessity  ;  he  does  not  complain  of  his 
lot,  nor  fear  that  the  world  should  know  that  he  is  set  aside 
to  make  room  for  others.  In  many  of  these  things  (but  not 
all)  he  is  the  very  opposite  of  the  man  who  resembles  the 
goat. 

As  all  sheep  are  not  equally  improved,  or  preserved  from 
deterioration,  so  all  men  are  not  equally  noble.  On  the  fol- 
lowing page  is  a  profile  of  Alexander  the  Great,  who  for  some 
reason  or  other,  in  the  coin  from  which  this  cut  was  taken, 
was  represented  with  ram's  horns.  In  his  youth  he  answered 
to  the  description  above,  but  perversion  changed  him  into  the 
very  opposite.  The  horns,  which  should  betoken  moral  and 
intellectual  power,  like  those  which  threw  down  the  walls  of 
an  ancient  city,  are  converted  into  serpents,  coiling  around 
the  seat  of  infernal  passions,  and  whispering  in  his  ear.  Spir- 
itual-mindedness  is  displaced  by  sensuality,  mildness  by  re- 
venge, and  contentment  and  humility  by  ambition  and  pride. 
His  face  is  Grecian,  and  the  Greeks  as  a  nation  resemble 
sheep;  but  far  superior  to  this  is  the  face   of  old  Homer, 


3U 


&  (MPAKATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


wliose  resemblance  to  the  sheep  is  likewise  observable.     His 
is  a  face  knotted  and  gnarled  like  that  of  the  patriarch  of  the 

flock,  or  like  the  oak  in  whose 
shade  the  flock  reposes,  listen- 
ing to  the  shepherd's  pipe,  or 
like  the  craggy  cliffs  where 
the  oak  braves  the  lightning 
and  the  tempest,  and  where 
the  sheep  is  safe  from  danger ; 
but  it  is  a  face  full  of  feeling 
and  sentiment — a  face  from 
which  the  noble  character  has 
not  been  worn  off  by  the  cha- 
fing of  ambition  and  insatia- 
ble desire.  It  is  something 
altogether  different  from  the 
mere  "  battering-ram"  which 
that  man  is  made  to  be  who 
substitutes  physical  power  for  moral  and  intellectual.  And 
we  may  observe  here,  that  where  Nature  is  most  capable  of 
giving  birth  to  a  Ho- 
mer, a  Sophocles,  or  a 
Plato,  she  is  most  ca- 
pable of  bringing  the 
sheep  to  perfection. 
It  is  a  meditative,  phil- 
osophical sheep  (see 
next  page)  that  resem- 
bles Plato. 

The  scenery  that  is 
best  adapted  to  refinement  and  the  delights  of  imagination  is 
best  adapted  to  the  sheep,  and  that  is  the  mountain  scenery 
of  Greece.  This  may  appear  from  history,  and,  as  there  is 
truth  in  poetry,  from  pastorals  also.  A  certain  writer  says 
that  Attica  "might  rival  Spain  in  the  fineness  of  its  wool; 
the  goat  thrives  on  its  hills ;  the  uncultivated  lands  are  over- 
run with  thyme,  serpillum,  and  marjoram ;  the  Albanian 
shepherds  lead  their  flocks  in  summer  to  these  pastures." 


THE   SHEEP. 


315 


Now,  the  excellence  of  the  honey  that  is  brought  from  that 
country  is  not  the  only  excellence  that  is  derived  from  the 
aromatic  plants  which  cover  the 
soil :  the  flavor  of  mutton,  which 
is  savory  beyond  that  of  any 
other  meat,  makes  a  demand  for 
aromatic  substances,  and  is  in- 
creased by  them,  and  therefore 
we  aver  that  the  country  which 
produces  the  Greek  is  particu- 


larly suited  to  the  sheep.  The  animal  that  is  superior  to  all 
others  as  a  sacrifice  of  a  "  sweet-smelling  savor"  is  the  sheep, 
and  the  Greeks  were  particularly  fond  of  such  sacrifices,  and 

therefore  required  them. 
The  aromas  of  flowers  are 
like  the  breathings  of  the 
soul  in  praise  and  prayer, 
in  gratitude  and  love,  and 
in  pure  and  pious  aspira- 


tions ;  and  hence  is  the  offering  of  incense  in  religious  wor- 
ship. The  sheep  is  a  correspondent  of  good  affections,  not 
only  on  account  of  the  qualities  before  mentioned,  but  because 
his  flesh  is  refined  and  flavored  by  substances  that  correspond 


316 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


to  what  is  spiritual  and  heavenly,  as  the  animal  faculties  in 
man  are  purified  and  governed  by  the  moral  and  religious. 

For  these  reasons,  and  on  account  of  innocence,  the  lamb 
is  typical  of  the  Christian  sacrifice,  as  it  was  also  the  sacrifi- 
cial offering  of  the  Greeks.  The  character  that  is  most  per- 
fectly represented  by  the  sheep  is  that  of  Christ ;  and  as  Chris- 
tians are  like  him,  there  is  the  same  difference  between  the 
Jews  and  Gentiles  that  there  is  between  goats  and  sheep. 
Also  the  term  "  Greek"  is  used  synonymously  with  "  Gentile," 
for  the  simple  reason  that  the  Gentiles  in  acquiring  a  charac- 
ter corresponding  to  the  innocence,  purity,  and  excellence 
of  the  sheep,  resemble  Greeks. 
They  are  called  Greeks  for  the 
same  reason  that  they  are  called 
sheep.  "  The  sheep  on  the  right 
hand  and  the  goats  on  the  left" 
is  the  contrasted  position  of  the 
Jews  and  Gentiles  in  respect  to 


Christ.  The  propriety  of  this  figure  has  been  sufficiently 
shown  in  the  resemblance  of  certain  persons  to  the  sheep,  and 
of  others  to  the  goat,  in  both  character  and  physiognomy. 
The  portrait  above  is  that  of  Oberlin.  The  man  who  resem- 
bles the  sheep  in  natural  disposition,  if  he  be  a  Christian,  can 
say  with  the  utmost  degree  of  truth  and  feeling : — 

11  The  Lord  is  my  shepherd  ;  I  shall  not  want ; 
He  maketh  me  to  lie  down  in  green  pastures : 
He  leadeth  me  beside  the  still  waters. 
He  restoreth  my  soul : 

He  leadeth  me  in  the  paths  of  righteousness  for  his  name's  sake. 
Yea,  though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death, 
I  will  fear  no  evil :  for  thou  art  with  me  ; 
Thy  rod  and  thy  staff  they  comfort  me.'' 


THE    SHEEP.  317 

As  to  the  Greeks  themselves,  or  the  better  class  of  them, 
we  can  not  do  better  than  to  take  the  following  description  : 
"The  Athenians  have  not  lost  their  ancient  urbanity;  their 
accent  is  more  harmonious  than  any  other  in  Greece ;  their 
language  is  less  diffuse,  and  for  that  reason  more  energetic. 
Their  appearance  is  nearly  the  same  as  that  of  their  ances- 
tors ;  the  women  of  Athens  are  still  distinguished  for  their 
light  figures,  the  oval  form  of  the  face,  the  regular  contour, 
the  straight  line  that  marks  the  profile,  full  black  eyes,  high 
forehead,  red  lips,  small  hands  and  feet;  they  are  equally 
graceful  in  the  mournful  dance  of  Ariadne  and  in  the  rapid 
mazes  of  the  Romaika.  The  simplicity  of  the  ancient  dress 
is  in  some  degree  retained  :  a  white  tunic  descends  from  the 
neck,  and  a  white  mantle  covers  the  arms  and  falls  over  the 
shoulders ;  a  handkerchief  tied  loosely  around  the  head  does 
not  conceal  their  jet-black  hair,  but  the  barbarous  empire  is 
typified  in  a  clumsy  and  ill-placed  girdle,  red  trowsers,  and  a 
heavy  Turkish  cloak."  The  resemblance  to  the  sheep  is  here 
sufficiently  described,  and  it  might  be  very  well  contrasted 
with  the  resemblance  between  Turks  and  turkeys. 

The  reason  assigned  for  the  language  of  the  Athenians 
being  more  energetic  than  that  of  other  Greeks  is  that  it  is 
less  diffuse.  We  see  the  correspondence  of  this  in  the  mo- 
tions of  the  sheep,  which  are  short  and  quick.  What  is  lost 
in  strength,  or  "  the  long  pull,  the  strong  pull,  and  the  pull 
all  together,"  as  they  say  at  sea,  is  made  up  in  quickness, 
elasticity,  and  energy ;  and  this  is  especially  suited  to  expres- 
sion, or  to  being  the  medium  of  moral  and  intellectual  power : 
for  as  grossness  is  necessary  to  the  former,  so  refinement  is 
essential  to  the  latter.  Sailors  are  consequently  clumsy  and 
gross,  and  so  are  all  those  whom  society  condemns  to  the  gal- 
leys, or,  in  other  words,  to  hard  labor ;  but  those  who  study 
grace  in  action,  and  engage  in  such  employments  as  require 
bodily  and  mental  activity,  will  acquire  moral  and  intellect- 
ual refinement  with  much  more  facility  than  those  with  whom 
these  conditions  are  not  attended  to.  The  relation  of  analysis, 
and  consequently  of  refinement,  to  language,  is  very  evident ; 
and  the  man  who  resembles  the  sheep  in  a  marked  degree  is 


318  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

interested  in  language  as  the  means  of  expressing  the  most 

refined  and  delicate  shades  of  thought  and  feeling,  and  will 

probably  do  much  toward  perfecting  it.     He  will  wish  to  free 

it  of  all  that  is  unmeaning  and  cumbersome,  for  these  things 

are  clogs  to  the  wheels  of  progress,  and  he  regards  them  as 

sand  in  sugar  or  a  sinecure  in  a  government. 

The  sign  of  architecture  and  the  memory  of  names  in  the 

Greek  contributes  very  much  to  his  resemblance  to  the  sheep. 

It  is  architecture,  probably,  together  with 

large  attack,  which  inclines  the  sheep  to 

brace  the  top  of  his  nose  against  a  pillar 

or  post ;  and  when  he  wishes  to  make  a 

forcible  entree,  he  calls  into  exercise  his 

large  endurance,  and,  like  certain  woolly- 
headed  gentlemen,  tries  the  strength  of 

his  skull.     In  many  more  amiable  traits 

than   this  does  the  negro  resemble  the 

sheep,  but  we  need  only  say  that  with  proper  advantages  he 

becomes  a  good  Christian. 

The  rocks  with  which  the  sheep  is  surrounded  in  his  mount- 
ain-home  are   natural    fortifications,    or   embrasures,    where 

liberty  is  often  better  protected  than  in  castles  and  fortres- 
ses. They  are  the  foundations  of  the  beautiful  temples  and 
palaces  in  the  higher  world  which  the  Greeks  took  and  handed 
down  to  earth  after  they  had  peopled  them  with  gods  and  god- 
desses, and  with  the  sublimest  of  their  heroes.  The  Grecian 
deities  were  the  embodiments  of  their  own  exquisite  and  re- 
fined natures  ;  and  what  the  horse  is  to  Italian  art,  the  sheep 
is  to  the  Grecian.  Painting  and  dramatic  representation  are 
more  perfect  in  the  former,  and  architecture  and  sculpture  in 
the  latter.  The  man  who  stops  short  of  the  perfection  which 
the  Greeks  attempted  to  embody  in  their  deities  (and  in  which 
they  failed),  stops  short  of  the  spiritual  beauty  of  which  the 
sheep  is  a  correspondent.  That  perfection  is  reached  in  the 
conception  of  the  Divine  Man,  and  is  aimed  at  by  those  who 
follow  his  example.  It  is  with  them  as  with  a  flock  of  sheep 
—  where  the  Leader  goes,  the  flock  is  sure  to  follow.  "He 
leadeth  them  out,  he  calleth  them  all  by  name,  and  they  fol- 


THE    SHEEP. 


319 


low  him,  but  a  stranger  will  they  not  follow,  for  they  know 
not  the  voice  of  strangers."  Where  the  people  are  unani- 
mous, and  will  not  be  diverted  from  following  their  leader, 
what  victories  can  they  not  accomplish  ? 

One  other  trait  of  character  in  the  sheep  we  must  mention, 
at  the  risk  of  being  tedious.  It  is  irritability  and  indigna- 
tion. The  sheep  when  offended 
stamps   indignantly   with   her 


foot.  This  comes  from  relative-defence  and  love  of  liberty. 
It  is  a  noble  trait  of  character,  one  for  which  the  Greeks  dis- 
tinguished themselves  in  ancient  times,  and  which  their  throw- 
ing  off  the  Turkish  yoke  shows  that  they  are  still  possessed 
of.  Spirit  and  gentleness  are  united  in  this  face  of  Kalergi, 
the  Greek  patriot.  The  gentleness  of  the  sheep  does  not  en- 
title him  to  the  name  of  "good-natured,"  which  is  often  a 
doubtful  compliment.  "  Hogs,"  says  a  newspaper  paragraph, 
"  are  patterns  of  good-humor.  Hit  'em  a  kick,  and  they  for- 
get it  as  soon  as  they  are  out  of  reach.  Dog  'em,  and  they 
root  as  happy  as  ever  the  minute  they  are  left  alone."  This 
comes  from  the  insensibility  of  the  animal,  and  from  his  inca- 
pability of  feeling  a  "righteous  indignation,"  and  not  from  a 
lack  of  retaliation  and  self-defence.  Let  an  injury  once  pen- 
etrate the  crust  of  his  insensibility,  and  he  will  revenge  it  on 
the  spot,  or  show  that  he  is  not  so  forgetful  of  injuries  as  you 
supposed.  But  the  indignant  person  is  not  implacable;  he 
is  merciful  and  forgiving.     That  which  rouses  indignation  is 


320  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

an  offence  against  truth  and  goodness,  purity  and  innocence, 
or  some  other  person  than  one's  self;  and  it  was  exhibited 
perfectly  in  Him  who  was  called  the  "  Lamb  of  God,'1  and 
prominently  in  the  characters  of  the  gods,  who  were  a  fore- 
shadowing of  the  Divinity  that  was  to  be  restored. 

The  goat  is  very  like  the  sheep,  notwithstanding  the  para- 
dox, and  in  like  manner  the  Jew  has  points  of  contact  with 
the  Christian;  Moses  is  the  representative  of  Christ,  and  the 
Old  Testament  is  typical  of  the  New.  The  corporeal  senses 
are  the  inlets  to  the  mind,  and  through  the  "  letter"  of  a  com- 
munication we  arrive  at  the  "  spirit"  of  it.  The  Jew  is  literal. 
Shylock  says  simply,  "  It  is  in  the  bond  ;"  but  the  converted 
Jew  says,  uThe  letter  is  of  no  profit — it  is  the  spirit  that 
quickens."  The  Christian  "  puts  off  the  old  man,"  and  the 
Jew  puts  it  on ;  the  literal  of  which  is,  that  the  Christian 
throws  off  his  old  garments,  and  the  Jew  takes  them ! 


THE    PARROT. 


321 


CHAPTEE   XXXYII 


We  often  hear  of  children  learning  to  repeat  like  parrots. 
The  gift  of  language  ought,  indeed,  to  entitle  the  parrot  to 
comparison  with  somebody.  But  it  is  not  the  ape  that  we 
are  speaking  of.  As  for  saying  a  man's  words  after  him,  the 
parrot  is  entirely  above  it,  except  it  be  with  the  expectation 
of  a  reward.  There  is  nothing  in  which  originality  is  so  much 
exercised  as  in  the  use  of  the  tongue.  Language  is  artificial, 
and  the  constant  ef- 
fort to  invent  new  lan- 
guages shows  itself  in 
4  provincialisms,'  not 
only  in  provinces  but 
in  districts,  the  world 
over.  You  may  try 
to  get  the  parrot  to 
say,  "  Pretty  Poll," 
or  "  Polly  want  cof- 
fee," b}^  setting  her 
the  example,  but  you 
will  fail  in  the  object. 
It  is  only  to  the  words  "  Polly  want  cracker  f "  that  she  deigns 
a  response.  She  despises  servile  imitation,  and  aspires  to 
originality.  Think  you  she  is  going  to  make  a  ninny  of  her- 
self by  showing  her  weakness  and  dependence  ?  Rather  than 
not  talk  at  all,  she  will  say  what  she  has  heard  others  say,  but 
it  will  be  when  she  supposes  you  have  forgotten  it.  She 
would  much  rather  do  what  you  do  not  want  her  to  do — to 
imitate  your  infirmities,  for  example  —  as  therein  she  shows 
she  is  not  indebted  to  a  master.  She  aspires  to  originality  in 
everything.     You  see  in  her  all  sorts  of  one-sided,  strange, 

21 


322 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


outlandish  motions,  the  results  of  her  unwillingness  to  follow 
in  the  footsteps  of  others. 

In  inferior  minds  the  love  of  originality  shows  itself  in 
oddity,  and,  when  this  is  connected  with  a  taste  for  wit,  in  a 
constant  exhibition  of  drollery.  There  is  a  perfect  agreement 
between  the  parrot  and  the  clown,  and  the  value  that  is  at- 
tached to  them  is  the  same  in  both.  They  are  tolerated  for 
the  same  reason,  viz.,  the  amusement  they  afford  by  the  con- 
stant exhibition  of  something  new  and  startling,  and  by  their 
buffoonery.  It  is  a  vulgar  taste,  identical  with  that  which 
gleans  the  "  horrible  and  awful"  in  newspapers,  and  prefers 
a  lusus  natures  to  what  is  orderly  and  beautiful.  Those  who 
patronize  clowns  are  people  who  have  the  same  traits,  but  are 
in  too  high  a  station,  or  consider  it  a  little  below  their  dig- 
nity, to  act  the  part  of  buffoons.  Still  the  clown,  though  he 
makes  a  fool  of  himself,  in  compliance  with  the  notion  that 
a  fool  is  a  rare  commodity  in  a  court,  has  often  more  influence 
over  those  he  amuses  than  any  other  man,  and  treats  his  mas- 
ter familiarly  and  even  contemptuously.     It  is  well  for  him 

that  he  can  cry  out,  "  I  say, 
master,"  every  now  and  then 
— for  if  his  "  master"  were 
not  his  master  in  the  art  he 


professes,  he  would  be  considered  as  deserving  of  banishment 
for  every  tenth  witticism  that  he  utters.  Like  the  parrot,  he 
never  says  anything  you  would  put  into  his  mouth  to  say — 
it  is  something  else,  or  nothing. 


THE    PARROT.  323 

It  is  laughable  to  hear  the  parrot  laugh  like  the  clown,  or, 
what  is  the  same  thing,  like  some  ridiculous  old  fellow  who 
bursts  out  in  spite  of  the  unmusical  quality  of  his  voice,  and 
whose  laugh,  therefore,  is  more  laughable  than  what  he  laughs 
at!  He  coughs  like  somebody  with  the  consumption,  till  he 
is  apparently  exhausted,  and  almost  goes  into  a  swoon  ;  "  tells 
on  you,"  when  you  expected  that  your  doings  were  a  profound 
secret;  shows  a  decided  taste  for  whatever  is  unpopular;  is 
grotesque,  and  in  all  respects  a  perfect  clown.  People  who 
are  like  him  are  glib  with  their  tongues,  make  a  burlesque  of 
singing  and  eloquence,  introduce  variations  and  high-flown 
language  into  their  performances,  all  for  the  sake  of  original- 
ity ;  which  shows  that,  after  all,  there  is  more  harmony  in  the 
world  than  discord,  or  that  order  is  the  rule  and  absurdity 
the  exception. 

But  all  persons  who  resemble  the  parrot  do  not  resemble 
him  thus  literally.  The  love  of  originality  and  the  gift  of 
tongues  are  not  always  connected  with  a  sense  of  the  ludicrous, 
nor  with  such  mischief  as  lurks  in  the  parrot.  There  is  many 
a  sober  innovator,  whose  delight  it  is  to  ponder 

"o'er  many  a  volume  of  forgotten  lore," 

that  he  may  not  be  supposed  to  make  use  of  the  humdrum 
literature  of  the  day ;  who  introduces  obsolete  words  and 
coins  new  ones,  and  makes  a  patchwork  of  all  languages ; 
makes  use  of  execrable  phrases,  and  invents  a  style  that  may 
be  called  his  own.  He  has  the  appearance  of  great  learning, 
of  being  able  to  run  through  the  contents  of  musty  libraries 
at  a  single  glance ;  passes  over  modern  discoveries,  in  search 
of  things  quaint  and  queer,  which,  being  monstrosities,  and 
buried  out  of  the  sight  of  man,  he  considers  proper  subjects 
for  discovery.  Whatever  was  forced  upon  the  world  as  a  mis- 
fortune and  a  necessity,  he  is  particularly  solicitous  to  bring 
to  light.  The  impression  that  his  matter  is  new,  and  out  of 
the  ordinary  course  of  things,  he  enforces  by  the  singularity 
of  his  style,  and  his  verbosity  and  grandiloquence.  Invention 
he  makes  synonymous  with  discovery,  and  discovery  with  in- 
vention; but  his  love  of  originality  is  gratified  in  his  being 


324 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


considered  the  author  of  his  discoveries,  and  on  examination 
they  are  found  to  be  — 

14  The  children  of  an  idle  brain. 
Begot  of  nothing  but  vain  phantasy." 

His  grand  idea  is  original- 
ity, and  as  this  is  attained  by 
raking  up  whatever  is  explo- 
ded, and  by  paying  homage  to 
Misfortune  ;  and  as  language, 
in  which  he  is  so  thoroughly 
engrossed,  is  the  mere  clothing  of  ideas — his  philosophy  is 
necessarily  materialistic.  His  marvellous  acquaintance  with 
languages,  and  the  multiplicity  of  his  words,  are  as  much  a 
subject  of  wonder  as  is  the  gift  of  speech  in  the  parrot.  He 
bends  all  his  efforts  to  excite  the  wonder  of  people  more  and 
more  — 

"  Till  they  cry  out,  •  You  prove  yourself  so  able, 
Pity  you  were  not  dragoman  at  Babel; 
For  had  they  found  a  linguist  half  so  good, 
I  make  no  question  but  the  tower  had  stood  !'  " 


THE    MOCKING-BIRD. 


325 


There  is  a  character  quite  different  from  this,  and  yet 
closely  related  to  it :  it  is  that  which  resembles  the  mocking- 
bird. This  bird  is  as  wonderfully  gifted  as  the  parrot,  but 
his  gift  is  eloquence.  Intonation,  inflection,  harmonious  mod- 
ulation, chords  that  waken  echoes  in  the  breasts  of  a  thousand 
warblers,  are  as  easy  in  his  throat  as  motion  in  his  wings. 

Those  who  are  gifted  with  elo- 
quence possess  a  strong  resem- 
blance to  the  mocking-bird  ;  they 
strike  the  chords  in  human  bo- 
soms when  they  waken  their  own, 
without  producing  a  jarring  dis- 
cord other  than  is  necessary  to 
increase  the  harmony;  they  know 
the  secret  spring  of  feeling  in  the 
human  heart.  They  possess  ex. 
traordinary  knowledge  of  human 
nature,  and  the  reason  is,  they 
feel  what  others  feel,  intuitively, 
in  a  way  they  can  not  account  for.  They  are  better  physiog- 
nomists than  others,  but  how  it  is  that  they  are  seldom  or 
never  deceived  in  their 
estimate  of  character 
they  can  not  tell. 

The  eloquence  that 
the  mocking-bird  pos- 
sesses in  so  extraordi- 
nary a  degree  is  ac- 
companied by  a  won- 
derful  knowledge    of 
character.     He  never 
fails  to  distinguish  his    < 
friends  from  his  ene- 
mies in  the  animal  cre- 
ation, and  is  almost  equally  sagacious  in  respect  to  human 
beings.     He  is  as  wary  of  enemies  as  the  crow,  but  his  confi- 
dence in  building  his  nest  close  by  a  "house,  and  a  few  feet 
from  the  ground,  shows  that  he  is  not  governed  by  suspicion 


326 


COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


in  his  relations  with  others.  Of  the  cat-bird,  which  is  a  mock- 
ing-bird of  very  charming  accomplishments,  Audubon  says: 
"  In  some  instances  I  have  known  this  bird  to  recognise  at 
once  its  friend  from  its  foe,  and  to  suffer  the  former  even  to 
handle  the  treasure  deposited  in  its  nest,  with  all  the  marked 
assurance  of  the  knowledge  it  possessed  of  its  safety;  when, 
on  the  contrary,  the  latter  had  to  bear  all  its  anger.  The 
sight  of  a  dog  seldom  irritates  it,  while  a  single  glance  at  the 
wily  cat  excites  the  most  painful  paroxysms  of  alarm."  This 
knowledge  of  the  dispositions  of  others  is  very  intimately  con- 
nected with  his  gift  of  eloquence ;  for  the  notes  of  different 
birds  are  the  sounds  of  their  affections,  and  the  bird  that  can 
express  them  all  must  have  inspired  the  feelings  which  each 
one  expresses  the  moment  he  heard  them. 

Another  trait  of  the  mocking-bird  is  his  deadly  hostility  to 
oppressors,  particularly  the  snake,  and  his  readiness  to  take 
the  part  of  the  injured.  This  is  naturally  associated  with  elo- 
quence.    In  all  ages  of  the  world,  and  in  all  countries,  the 

theme  that  has  awa- 
kened eloquence  more 
than  any  other  is  Lib- 
erty, and  the  right  of 
the  weak  to  the  pro- 
tection and  sympathy 
of  the  strong.  A  bad 
cause  inspires  some- 
thing the  very  oppo- 
site of  this.  The  elo- 
quence uttered  in  the 
cause  of  humanity  is 
divine,  and  only  this  is 
immortal.  And  those 
orators  whose  services 
were  rendered  to  hu- 
manity, and  whose  fame  is  the  inheritance  of  mankind,  had 
wonderful  knowledge  of  the  human  heart.  The  action  of  an 
orator  is  the  earnest  of  his  sensibility,  every  nerve  and  fibre 
of  his  frame  being  thrilled  with  the  enthusiasm  of  his  inspira- 


THE    MOCKING-BIRD.  327 

tion,  like  the  bird,  alive  in  every  feather,  "  fast  fluttering  all 
at  once,"  and  unable  to  contain  himself.  The  eloquence  it- 
self, as  corresponding  to  the  outpourings  of  the  mocking-bird 
—  it  would  be  a  letting-down  to  attempt  to  describe  it. 

It  is  man's  freedom  and  his  moral  accountability  that  are 
indicated  in  the  countenance.  Technically  speaking,  the 
signs  of  the  voluntary  action  of  the  faculties  are  in  the  face. 
For  this  reason,  and  because  pathos  and  the  ability  to  move 
the  feelings  of  others  implies  a  knowledge  of  nature,  and  of 
human  nature  in  particular,  eloquence  is  inseparable  from 
physiognomy.  The  beautiful  things  appertaining  to  the  lat- 
ter that  are  always  being  introduced  into  the  discourses  of 
our  finest  orators,  are  proof  of  the  connection.  The  knowledge 
of  Nature  in  its  widest  sense  is  embraced  in  the  term  Physi- 
ognomy, and  Nature  is  the  theme  of  the  most  glowing  descrip- 
tions. The  crowning  work  of  creation  is  the  subject  of  inspi- 
ration. 


328  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 


CHAPTER   XXXVIII. 

The  reader  who  has  felt  a  sufficient  interest  in  our  subject 
to  accompany  us  to  the  last  chapter,  will  have  made  a  num- 
ber of  observations  in  confirmation  of  our  own,  and  some,  no 
doubt,  that  are  really  or  apparently  contradictory.  We  do 
not  claim  to  be  infallible,  and  the  reader  is  not  bound  to  be- 
lieve anything  that  he  does  not  see  to  be  true.  Of  the  state- 
ments we  have  made,  and  respecting  your  interest  in  them, 
we  would  say  to  you,  gentle  reader,  as  we  heard  an  Irish 
apple- woman  say  to  a  boy  who  asked  her  for  an  apple  :  "  If 
you  see  one  at  all  that  pleases  yourself,  take  it."  This  conve- 
niently illustrates  the  gentlemanly  relation,  as  well  in  respect 
to  ideas  as  in  respect  to  bodily  hospitalities,  at  the  same  time 
that  it  illustrates  the  natural  gentility  of  the  Irish,  and,  a  pri- 
ori, the  gentility  of  the  dog.  The  language  used  by  that  poor 
Irishwoman,  and  the  common  speech  of  Irishmen,  is  such  as 
is  heard  when  one  gentleman  addresses  another,  and  of  the 
kind  that  is  used  in  genteel  society. 

Dear  reader,  we  fancy  you  asking  us  mentally  to  let  go 
your  button,  at  the  same  time  that  you  are  attentive  and  po- 
lite. You  must  not  suppose  that  we  have  inflicted  upon  you 
all  that  we  might  have  done,  had  we  been  disposed  to  trace 
the  resemblances  between  men  and  all  the  inferior  animals 
of  creation.  We  must  receive  credit  for  not  having  even  men- 
tioned all  the  resemblances  between  the  men  and  animals  that 
we  have  treated  of.  For  example,  we  might  have  asked  you 
to  observe  that,  of  the  two  classes  of  negroes,  the  one  open 
their  mouths  like  fishes,  and  the  other  their  jaws  like  ele- 
phants. Then  we  might  have  directed  your  attention  to  the 
fact  that  the  English  are  inclined  to  drawl,  and  to  utter  half 
their  words  in  the  inspiration  of  the  voice ;  to  use  aspirates 


CONCLUSION.  329 

where  they  ought  not,  and  to  leave  them  off  where  they  be- 
long :  like  the  cow  in  her  long-drawn  loo,  in  her  moo-hoo ;  in 
her  h  as  in  hoo,  when  she  takes  back  her  breath ;  and  in  her 
neglect  of  the  h  as  in  hoist,  when  she  has  a  potato  in  her 
throat,  which  gives  her  occasion  to  expel  what  she  can  not 
swallow.  It  is  evident  that  other  animals,  the  dog  and  the 
cat  for  example,  when  they  endeavor  to  expel  anything  from 
the  throat,  give  the  sound  of  h  y  and  that  in  inspiration  they 
give  only  the  vowel  sound,  if  any.  It  is  in  consequence,  there- 
fore, of  a  resemblance  to  the  cow,  that  the  Englishman  says, 
"  'Ear  me,"  and  "  Lend  me  your  Aears."  It  is  worth  men- 
tioning, also,  that  one  of  the  most  celebrated  places  in  Eng- 
land is  called  "Ox-ford."  Then,  if  we  had  said  all  that  we 
might  have  said  about  the  resemblance  between  the  China- 
man and  the  hog,  we  should  have  remarked  upon  the  simi- 
larity of  sounds  —  as,  for  example,  that  the  words  Tchong- 
Koue,  Ning-po,  Hong-kong,  Kwang-tung,  and  the  Choos  and 
the  Foos  of  the  Chinese  language,  partake  of  the  nasal  grunt 
and  the  foo-ing  of  an  old  hog;  while  Fu-keen,  Pekin,  Pe- 
chele,  and  the  like,  are  akin  to  the  squeaking  of  a  little  pig. 
As  the  life  employment  of  the  hog  is  chewing  at  first-hand 
(for  he  has  no  time  to  spend  in  chewing  the  cud),  it  is  not 
strange  that  nearly  every  other  word  of  the  Chinese  language 
has  a  "  choo"  in  it,  so  that  the  Chinese  in  conversing  do  little 
besides  choo.  Then  we  might  have  spoken  of  the  similarity 
of  the  French  language  to  that  of  the  frog,  till  with  the  twirl- 
ing of  Unguals  about  our  ears  we  might  have  fancied  ourselves 
in  Bedlam.  We  might  have  drawn  comparisons  between  the 
languages  of  men  and  animals,  as  between  the  faces  of  these 
and  those ;  but  we  did  not,  and  there  are  many  other  things 
we  did  not  touch  upon. 

It  may  be  thought  that  in  the  preceding  chapters  there  is 
no  orderly  arrangement;  but  there  is  an  order,  and  it  is  ac- 
cording to  harmony,  and  for  that  reason  it  is  not  easily  per- 
ceived. Harmony  is  so  delightful,  that  we  perceive  only  that 
it  governs  us,  and  not  that  it  governs  us  by  laws.  "When  we 
have  unfolded  the  Science  of  Nature  more  fully,  we  shall  ana- 
lyze and  understand  that  which  we  are  now  sufficiently  happy 


330  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

in  feeling.  From  feeling  we  shall  glide  into  perceiving,  from 
perceiving  into  understanding,  and  from  understanding  into 
something  higher. 

We  are  hard-hearted  indeed  if,  having  studied  our  relation- 
ship to  the  inferior  animals,  we  are  not  disposed  to  treat  them 
more  kindly.  We  sympathize  with  them,  for  we  perceive 
that  the  same  faculties  which  warm  our  breasts  animate  theirs. 
We  share  with  them  our  "  creature  comforts,"  for  they  are 
creatures  more  than  we,  and  our  superior  reason  enables  us  to 
provide  for  those  comforts  better  than  they.  Our  moral  and 
religious  inspiration,  by  which  we  are  distinguished,  prompts 
us  to  confer  happiness  on  others.  If  we  are  not  true  to  this, 
we  are  inhuman  —  that  is,  we  are  neither  men  nor  brutes  — 
and  this  never  can  be  said  of  the  inferior  animals.  Creatures 
are  not  bad.  A  person  with  a  good  natural  disposition  is 
called  a  "  good  creature,"  and  it  is  in  reference  to  our  natural 
dispositions  that  we  are  called  the  "  creatures  of  God."  —  "An 
unfortunate  creature"  we  often  hear  of,  but  who  ever  heard 
of  a  wicked  creature,  except  it  were  of  some  one  whose  wick- 
edness is  synonymous  with  ugliness,  such  as  is  observed  in  the 
cow  or  the  goat  ?  If  we  say  to  a  person,  "  You  wicked  crea- 
ture !"  the  word  "  creature"  shows  that  we  do  not  mean  it. 
The  word  "  wicked"  is  an  absurdity  in  such  a  connection,  and 
therefore  it  is  applied  wittily.  Simply,  "  You  creature !"  is 
equivalent  to  saying  of  the  person  thus  addressed,  that — 

"  E'en  his  failings  lean  to  virtue's  side  !" 

A  perverted  character  has  never  the  term  "  creature"  applied 
to  it.  It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  our  relationship  to  the 
lower  animals  is  no  disgrace  to  us  if  it  is  none  to  them.  In  this 
case,  we  are  "  children  of  Nature,"  as  they  are,  but  more  per- 
fectly, for  we  are  also  the  "  children  of  God."  It  is  an  honor 
to  be  the  children  of  "  the  common  Mother"  when  wisdom  is 
given  us  to  know  our  Father  —  which  wisdom  is  not  given  to 
the  lower  animals.  A  true  nobleman  will  not  despise  his 
poor  relations :  he  knows  that  his  origin  is  humble,  and  that 
all  his  riches  and  honors  are  conferred  by  his  Sovereign. 
"  Man  is  an  animal."     With  this  humiliating  truth  we  com- 


CONCLUSION.  331 

menced  our  subject,  and  with  this  we  conclude.  But  for  the 
use  which  we  should  make  of  this  knowledge,  we  adopt  the 
sentiments  of  an  old  author : — 

"Man,  considered  in  himself,  and  in  his  own  jpropriu?n,  is 
nothing  but  a  beast,  having  like  senses,  like  appetites,  like 
lusts,  and  also  like  affections  in  every  respect ;  his  good  and 
best  loves  are  likewise  very  similar,  as  the  love  of  associates 
of  his  own  species,  the  love  of  children,  and  the  love  of  his 
mate ;  so  that  there  is  no  difference  between  them  in  any  re- 
spect.    But  that  he  is  man,  and  more  excellent  than  the  beasts, 
is,  because  he  has  an  interior  life,  which  beasts  have  not,  nor 
are  capable  of  having ;  this  life  is  the  life  of  faith  and  of  love 
from  the  Lord ;  and  unless  this  life  were  to  influence  and 
prevail  in  each  of  those  properties  which  he  has  in  common 
with  the  beasts,  he  would  never  be  anything  else  but  a  beast : 
as,  for  instance,  in  respect  to  love  toward  his  associates,  if  he 
loved  them  only  for  the  sake  of  himself,  and  there  were  not 
in  the  love  something  more  celestial  and  divine,  he  could  not 
be  called  a  man  in  consequence  of  that  love,  because  it  is 
similar  with  the  beasts :  and  so  in  other  instances :  wherefore 
unless  the  life  of  love  from  the  Lord  were  in  his  will,  and  the 
life  of  faith  from  the  Lord  in  his  understanding,  he  would  in 
no  respect  be  a  man.     By  the  life  which  he  has  from  the 
Lord,  he  lives  after  death,  because  thereby  the  Lord  joins 
him  to  himself;   and  thus  he  has  a  capacity  of  being  in 
heaven  with  the  angels,  and  of  living  to  eternity:   and  al- 
though man  lives  a  wild  beast,  and  loves  nothing  else  but 
himself,  and  the  things  which  respect  himself,  yet  the  mercy 
of  the  Lord  is  so  great,  being  divine  and  infinite,  that  he 
never  leaves  man,  but  continually  breathes  into  him  his  life 
by  the  angels,  which,  notwithstanding  his  perverse  reception 
thereof,  still  gives  him  a  capacity  of  thinking,  of  reflecting, 
of  understanding  what  is  good  or  evil,  whether  it  relate  to 
moral,  civil,  worldly,  or  corporeal  life,  and  thereby  of  discern- 
ing what  is  true  or  false." 

Mankind  in  general  find  their  resemblance  in  the  ape,  as 
was  shown  in  a  preceding  chapter ;  while  races  of  men,  and 
individuals  in  particular,  resemble  animals  of  every  species 


332  COMPARATIVE   PHYSIOGNOMY. 

and  variety.  As  to  animals  in  general,  we  also  find  their 
resemblance  in  the  ape  :  it  is  easy  to  see  that  the  quadrumana 
resemble  both  beasts  and  birds,  living  as  they  do  in  trees, 
and  grasping  with  the  posterior  members,  as  birds  do,  and 
belonging  at  the  same  time  to  the  mammalia.  It  is  evident, 
therefore,  that  every  man,  in  resembling  the  ape,  resembles 
the  entire  animal  kingdom,  and  that  by  resembling  each  in- 
dividual beast  and  bird  he  resembles  each  individual  man  to 
whom  such  beast  or  bird  bears  a  resemblance.  As  all  men 
have  a  resemblance  in  common,  it  is  certain  that  each  indi- 
vidual man  has  in  himself  the  peculiarities  of  all  other  peo- 
ple—  so  blended,  that  only  his  own  individual  peculiarity  is 
conspicuous.  Also,  as  the  predominant  animal  nature  is  bo- 
vine in  one,  equine  in  another,  canine  in  another,  feline  in 
another,  and  so  on  —  it  is  evident  that  there  is  in  every  indi- 
vidual a  congregation  of  all  sorts  of  animal  natures,  and  that 
the  difference  between  people  is  the  predominance  of  one  or 
other  of  these  elements.  Of  course,  it  is  the  element  that  is 
most  conspicuous  in  an  individual  that  constitutes  his  resem- 
blance to  a  particular  beast  or  bird. 

Being  fortified  by  reasoning,  we  have  no  hesitation  in  say- 
ing, figuratively,  that  man's  breast  is  a  menagerie  of  animals, 
of  beasts  and  birds,  clean  and  unclean,  wild  and  tame.  To 
name  them  and  to  govern  them  by  morality  and  religion,  is 
his  highest  duty  and  his  highest  delight.  He  transforms 
them  into  the  likeness  of  the  higher  faculties  by  which  they 
are  governed  ;  and  with  these  they  are  so  admirably  blended, 
that  they  are  no  longer  animal,  but  human.  The  animals  of 
the  external  world  still  resemble  him,  for  he  subjects  them  to 
the  same  discipline  as  those  within.  He  masters  them  by 
love  and  kindness ;  he  makes  them  beautiful  and  useful, 
peaceful,  harmonious,  and  happy.  He  exhibits  in  himself 
(and  it  is  shadowed  forth  in  the  animals  around  him)  a  fulfil- 
ment of  the  prophecy : — 

"  The  wolf  also  shall  dwell  with  the  lamb, 
And  the  leopard  shall  lie  down  with  the  kid ; 
And  the  calf,  and  the  young  lion,  and  the  fading,  together ; 
And  a  little  child  shall  lead  them. 


CONCLUSION.  333 

And  the  cow  and  the  bear  shall  feed ; 

Their  young  ones  shall  lie  down  together : 

And  the  lion  shall  eat  straw  like  the  ox. 

And  the  sucking-child  shall  play  on  the  hole  of  the  asp, 

And  the  weaned  child  shall  put  his  hand  on  the  cockatrice's  den  : 

They  shall  not  hurt  nor  destroy  in  all  my  holy  mountain." 

The  helpless  condition  in  which  man  is  born  makes  it  ne- 
cessary that  he  should  be  endowed  with  a  superlative  degree 
of  that  faculty  which  prompts  him  to  look  out  for  his  own  in- 
terests. It  is  difficult  to  see  how  a  person  could  be  possessed 
of  individuality  without  self-love  for  its  basis,  or  recognise  the 
individuality  of  others  without  first  recognising  his  own,  or 
ever  love  his  neighbor  until  he  had  first  loved  himself.  "  Char- 
ity begins  at  home."  Man  is  required  to  "  love  his  neighbor 
as  himself,"  which  proves  that  the  standard  by  which  he  is  to 
measure  his  love  for  his  neighbor  exists  beforehand,  and  that 
it  is  right  and  proper  that  he  should  have  loved  himself  first. 
Self-love,  therefore,  is  good  ;  it  is  necessary  to  a  weak  and 
dependent  being;  and  all  beings  are  weak  and  dependent, 
and  the  Creator  has  given  them  self-love  that  they  may  supply 
their  other  deficiencies.  And  what  are  their  deficiencies, 
and  what  their  wants  ?  Their  first  wants  are  physical,  their 
second  sensual,  their  third  rational,  and  their  fourth  supernal. 
As  long  as  these  wants  continue,  so  long  self-love  must  be 
active;  but,  in  the  degree  that  these  wants  are  supplied,  it 
becomes  man  to  be  charitable,  and  to  minister  to  the  wants 
of  others.  It  is  only  after  these  wants  are  supplied  that  man 
can  become  wickedly  selfish.  The  object  of  self-love  is  to 
prompt  him  to  take  care  of  himself;  and  if  he  desire  that 
others  may  take  care  of  him,  he  is  selfish  beyond  what  Na- 
ture intended.  An  animal  requires  all  the  self-love  that  Na- 
ture has  given  it  to  supply  itself  with  necessaries;  and  it  is 
contented  to  "shirk  for  itself"  if  its  exertions  are  capable  of 
supplying  its  wants.  At  the  season  of  the  year  when  it  is 
capable  of  doing  more  than  this,  Nature  bestows  offspring, 
and  the  care  of  the  parents  is  expended  upon  other  objects 
than  themselves.  Thus  self-love  in  animals  is  kept  within 
bounds;  and  it  is  proved  by  this  that  the  inferior  creatures 


334:  COMPARATIVE    PHYSIOGNOMY. 

are  good.  But  with  human  beings  it  is  otherwise.  They 
wish  to  be  taken  care  of  by  others,  and  to  be  supplied  with 
multitudes  of  things  that  are  not  necessary ;  and  for  this  end 
they  acquire  artificial  appetites,  such  as  the  appetites  for  to- 
bacco, tea,  coffee,  opium,  and  alcoholic  stimulants.  This  per- 
version of  self-love  in  man  is  from  the  perversion  of  the  privi- 
lege of  dependence,  which  is  extreme  at  the  moment  he  is 
born,  and  which  is  again  extreme  at  the  moment  of  his  de- 
parture from  this  wTorld  :  it  is  from  the  perversion  of  his  per- 
fect dependence  upon  his  parents  for  the  supply  of  his  bodily 
wants  at  the  commencement  of  his  life,  and  of  his  perfect 
dependence  upon  his  Creator  for  those  things  which  alone 
can  satisfy  the  cravings  of  an  immortal  soul  at  the  period  of 
his  transition  into  another  state  of  existence.  Between  these 
two  extremes  of  dependence  there  is  abundant  room  for  self- 
exertion,  self-improvement,  and  self-dependence,  and  there  is 
occasion  for  the  exercise  of  benevolence  toward  others  when 
benevolence  toward  self  has  accomplished  its  object.  What, 
then,  must  be  the  depravity  of  man,  when,  instead  of  loving 
himself  and  taking  care  of  himself  for  the  sake  of  his  neigh- 
bor, he  loves  his  neighbor  and  has  his  neighbor  in  keeping 
for  the  sake  of  himself?  Look  at  those  who  in  all  countries 
oppress  and  enslave  the  bodies  and  souls  of  men,  and  at  those 
who  in  their  weakness  and  poverty  exercise  their  tyrannical 
selfishness  in  oppression  of  the  inferior  animals,  and  you  will 
see.  The  animal  which  the  natural  man  resembles,  viz.,  the 
ape,  is  selfish  and  disgusting  in  the  extreme. 


THE     END. 


J.  S.  REDFIELD, 

CLINTON    HALL     NEW    YORK, 
HAS  JUST  PUBLISHED: 


EPISODES  OF  INSECT  LIFE. 

By  Acheta  Domestica.  In  Three  Series:  I.  Insects  of  Spring. — II.  Insects 
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of  nature.  Nothing  is  made  in  vain  not  only,  but  nothing  is  made  ugly  or  repulsive.  A  charm  is 
thrown  around  every  object,  and  life  suffused  through  all,  suggestive  of  the  Creator's  goodness  and 
wisdom." — N.  Y.  Evangelist. 

"Moths,  glow-worms,  lady-birds,  May-flies,  bees,  and  a  variety  of  other  inhabitants  of  the  insect 
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drawn  from  ant-,  beetles,  and  butterflies,  which  we  might  do  well  to  ponder.  We  can  think  of  noth- 
ing more  calculated  to  delight  the  passing  hour,  than  the  beautiful  delineations  we  find  in  these  three 
volumes."—  Christian  Intelligencer. 


*§** 


MEN  AND  WOMEN  OF  THE  EIGHTEENTH  CENTURY. 

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in  the  Palais-Royal,  the  Chevalier  de  !a  Clos. 

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fascinating  in  its  style  ;  fascinating  in  its  power  to  lead  the  reader  into  castle-building  of  the  most  gor- 
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'•We  have  spent  some  delightful  hours  in  the  reading  of  these  interestin?  volumes.  The  biogra 
phies  of  the  celebrated  personages  included  in  this  work  are  written  in  a  peculiarly  pleasant  and  at- 
tractive style.  The  author  has  "transferred,  with  a  familiar  power  of  composition,  the  living  charac- 
ter of  his  subjects  to  his  pages" — Louisville  Journal. 

"  It  presents  by  far  the  best  portrait  of  the  prominent  figures  of  the  age  to  which  it  refers,  that  we 
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"  VVe  think,  Indeed,  that  we  hav*>  r^v^r  rr>*»t  w>h  anything  that  carries  us  so  entirely  into  the  in- 
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redfield's  new  and   poimt.au   publications. 


POETICAL    WORKS  OF  FITZ-GREENE  HALLECK. 

New   and    only   Complete    Edition,   containing    several   New    Poems,  together 
with  many  now  first  collected.     One  vol.,  12mo.,   price  one  dollar. 

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hold word  wherever  the  English  language  is  spoken."— Albany  Express. 

"  To  tin'  numerous  admirers  of  Mr.  Halleck,  this  will  be  a  welcome  book;  for  it  is  a  characteristic 
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form." — Christian  Freeman 

"  Mr.  Halleck  never  appeared  in  a  neater  dress,  and  few  poets  ever  deserved  a  better  one." — Chris- 
tian lntdligtncer. 

••There  are  few  poems  to  be  found,  in  any  language,  that  surpass,  in  beauty  of  thought  and 
structure,  some  of  these."— Boston  Commonwealth. 


LILLIAN,  AND  OTHER  POEMS. 

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Jf* 


LAYS  OF  THE  SCOTTISH  CAVALIERS. 

By  William  E.  Aytotjn,  Professor  of  Literature  and  Belles-Lettres  in  the 
University  of  Edinburgh,  and  Editor  of  Blackwood's  Magazine.  One  vol., 
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•'Since  Lockhart  and  Macauiey's  ballads,  we  have  had  no  metrical  work  to  be  conpared  in  spirit, 
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graphic  description,  and  genuine  feeling:" — Home  Journal. 

"The  fine  ballad  of  '  Montrose'  in  this  collection  is  alone  worth  the  price  of  the  book."— Boston 
Transcript. 

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disregarded,  we  think  Mr.  Aytoun's  productions  well  calculated  to  maintain  a  favorite  place  in  public 
estimation."'— Literary  Gazette. 

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and  happily  varied  and  variable  in  measure,  they  will,  we  are  confident,  outlive  many,  if  not  all,  o» 
his  more  pretensious  and  ornamented  contemporaries." — Literary  World. 


THE  BOOK  OF  BALLADS. 
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capital  parody  upon  the  stv'le  of' some  one  of  the  best  lyric  writers  ot  the  time  from  the  thundering 
versification  of  Lockhart  and  Macaulay  to  the  sweetest  and  simplest  strains  of  W  ordsworth  and  renny- 
Bon.  The  author  is  one  of  the  first  scholars,  and  one  of  die  most  finished  writers  of  Lie  day,  and  cms 
production  is  but  the  frolic  of  his  genius  in  playtime."—  Courier  .V  Enquirer. 

"  We  do  not  know  to  whom  belongs  this  non  deplume,  but  he  is  certainly  a  hum  >nst  oi  no  common 
power." — Providence  Journal. 

"  Bon  r 
Addresst 
ilities), 
ere,  in 
ascending  Drury-l.ane." — Literary  World.